That, however, no longer seems to be the case. Spotted by Automaton Media, an update to Monolith Soft’s website now confirms that 100 percent of the studio’s shares are now owned by Nintendo. Of course, functionally, this won’t make much difference, since Nintendo already had full control over the studio anyway, though on paper, Monolith Soft is now entirely in Nintendo’s ownership.

The studio’s next release is Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition, which is due out for the Nintendo Switch in March. What Monolith Soft’s next big game will be is currently unknown, though with Nintendo’s next-gen console presumably launching in 2025, one would hope that the studio’s next title will be unveiled for it in the not-too-distant future.

Outlined in its Q2 fiscal year 2025 financial results and corporate management policy briefing, president Shuntaro Furukawa discussed how the series performed on the Nintendo Switch compared to the Wii U and 3DS. Alongside Xenoblade Chronicles, franchises like Pikmin, Kirby and Metroid have seen “dramatic sales growth.”

Granted, only Xenoblade Chronicles 1 is available on the Nintendo 3DS, and we don’t know how each title has performed individually. As of December 2022, Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition sold 1.88 million, and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 sales totalled 2.7 million (not including the DLC, Torna – The Golden Country). Xenoblade Chronicles 3, meanwhile, sold 1.86 million as of March 2023.

The series should see another significant bump on the Switch, with Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition launching on March 20th, 2025. Stay tuned for more details on its improvements and new content in the coming months.

Monolith Soft has put up a new page on its website dedicated entirely to kicking off a major recruitment drive for its next project. Penned by director and Xenoblade mastermind Tetsuya Takahashi, a letter on the page reveals little about the project other than confirming that it is going to be another RPG and will present more challenges from a development perspective than any past Monolith Soft title.

Takahashi reveals he will once again direct the game, which, as per him, is going to be “more sophisticated” in the content that it will have on offer than the studio’s past games. Positions are open at Monolith Soft across a number of different disciplines.

What exactly it is that Monolith Soft is working on – whether it’s a new Xenoblade game or something else entirely – remains to be seen. It’s safe to assume, however, that whatever the game is is being made for the Switch’s upcoming successor and not the Switch itself, and as such might not be announced for a while yet.

In an email sent out to customers in Japan by Nintendo, Monolith Soft boss and senior director Tetsuya Takahashi reiterated that though Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a “stopping point” for the series, it’s not the final instalment. Interestingly, Takahashi says that those who finish the game and play its upcoming expansion (which is due out next year) should have a good idea of what to expect from the franchise’s future.

“Xenoblade 3 has been called the culmination of the whole series up until now, and it truly is the culmination,” Takahashi wrote (translated by Nintendo Everything). “We at Monolith have put everything we have cultivated over the past twelve years into it. It is also a stopping point to me. This title depicts the conclusion of the Xenoblade story that began with Klaus’ experiment.

“While it is a conclusion, that does not mean it is the end of the Xenoblade series. It is just a stopping point in my mind. I think that everyone who played this title and the additional stories in the Expansion Pass can imagine what lies in the future for Xenoblade.”

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 launched exclusively for the Switch a couple of weeks ago, and has seen impressive initial success on both critical and commercial fronts, having enjoyed the series’ best ever launch in both Japan and the UK.

In our review of the game, we awarded it a score of 9/10, saying, “Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a culmination of everything that is good about this series. The excellent cast of characters, the boundlessly imaginative and grandiose world, the captivating and ambitious narrative, the dense and deeply engaging combat, progression, and exploration- this is a game that shines bright in almost every area that matters. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is not just the best game in its series and by its developer, but also arguably among the greatest games on its system and in its genre.” Read the full review through here.

Thanks to its update Switch eShop page, for instance, we now know how much storage space the game will require. Xenoblade Chronicles 3’s file size is listed at 15 GB. By Nintendo Switch standards, that’s definitely on the higher side, though it’s roughly still in the same ball park as its predecessors, if a little higher than them. Xenoblade Chronicles 2’s file size is 13.2 GB, while Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition has a file size of 13.7 GB.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is launching on July 29 exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. Its Special Edition was also recently unveiled- read more on that through here.

Back in March last year, Yasunori Mitsuda – the longtime composer of the Xeno titles, including both mainline Xenoblade Chronicles games – said that he was about to begin working on a “large-scale” project soon. Recently on Twitter, he may have possibly followed up on that, stating that one of the new projects he’s worked on is going to be revealed next month.

Of course, he hasn’t explicitly specified Xenoblade Chronicles, but there have been some developments leaning in that direction of late. Leaks claimed a few months ago that Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was in the works, meant as the final game in the trilogy with returning characters from both numbered entries, and that it was in the final stages of development. Voice actor Jenna Coleman had previously also suggested that a third game was in development.

If Nintendo is indeed planning on announcing a new Xenoblade Chronicles game, February might be the right time to do it, seeing as Nintendo has routinely held Nintendo Direct presentations in the month.

In related news, a recent leak claimed that Xenoblade Chronicles 3 will likely launch in 2023. Read more on that through here.

https://twitter.com/YasunoriMitsuda/status/1484539040561250306

Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, optimization and development has faced some issues. It could be announced before 2021 is over and possibly release in the first half of 2022. As for gameplay details, very little is known aside from the goal of having more characters on screen at once (both among the playable characters and various enemies fought).

Story-wise, the sequel will mark the end of the trilogy and take place in the “far-flung future” where some characters  from both previous games who have “long-outlived their human counterparts” will appear. One of those is Melia, who Coleman voices, which is why she would be aware of a sequel (though the extent of her part is yet to be confirmed). At this point, the sequel is nearing its “final stages of development.”

It should be interesting to see how Xenoblade Chronicles 3, if that’s what it ends up being called, unfolds. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 took a decidedly different approach from the original and while some fans were less than kind, it still received a strong amount of critical acclaim. It’s currently available for the Nintendo Switch along with Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition.

At least that’s been (somewhat) suggested by Jenna Coleman, who was the voice actor for Melia Antiqua in the original Xenoblade Chronicles, and also reprised her role in last year’s Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, which included new story content with the Future Connected expansion.

Speaking with YouTuber Din’s Meteorite, Coleman may have accidentally let slip that Nintendo and Monolith Soft are at work on a Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Speaking about her role in the series, she said (via VGC): “It was through my voiceover agent and I did it… god, when was the first game? Ten years ago? It was a long time ago. I did it pre-Doctor Who days and then when they did the second one, they asked me to come back.

“And I think they’re going to do another. Common knowledge? Don’t know… Yeah I think they’re going to do another… Not sure if I’m allowed to say that.”

Melia was, of course, featured in the new Future Connected content in last year’s Definitive Edition release as well, which may very well tie into a potential sequel (in fact, it almost definitely will), so it’s quite likely that Coleman might be involved in a new game in the series.

Earlier this year, series composer Yasunori Mitsuda stated that he was about to begin work on a large-scale project, while Monolith Soft itself has previously suggested that it wants to keep investing in the Xenoblade series. Currently, the developer is also aiding Nintendo with the development of the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, just as they did with the first game.

Xenoblade Chronicles has become quite an important franchise for Nintendo over the last few years. Each of the series’ mainline releases have been met with great reception from critics and audiences alike, while the games have also enjoyed strong sales, especially on the Switch. With Xenoblade Chronicles 2 now having launched well over three years ago, many have begun wondering how far away we are from the series’ next game. It’s possible that that might be approaching soon.

Yasunori Mitsuda – the longtime composer of the Xeno metaseries, including all mainline Xenoblade Chronicles games – recently published an update on his blog, showing an image of music sheets scattered around a studio. Mitsuda explains that he will be beginning a “large-scale” recording session in April, and that as such, there’s plenty of work coming up for him in the near future.

Monolith Soft studio head and Xenoblade creator Tetsuya Takahashi said about a year ago that the studio wants to continue building the Xenoblade brand, and that, combined with the series’ success, would strongly suggest that a new game will eventually be released. Whether that is what Mitsuda is working on remains to be seen, but that’s definitely what series fans will be hoping for.

ABZU

The idea of deep sea exploration is dangerous and exciting at the same time- Abzu is a game that focuses entirely on the latter, putting players into a vast underwater environment and letting you go in whichever direction you please at any time you want. Given how rewarding exploration feels in Abzu, you always want to see more of the game’s gorgeous world, unlock more of its environments. It might not be the flashiest game in this group, but it’s one that you definitely need to play nonetheless.