a supportive hand
Monolith Soft contributed to a number of other significant Nintendo releases this year in addition to Xenoblade Chronicles 3 itself.
Monolith Soft, well renowned for JRPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles 3, has provided support for the most recent smash hit on the Nintendo Switch, Splatoon 3. For longstanding Monolith Soft fans, though, this shouldn’t come as a surprise as a quick glance at its development history reveals that the studio also contributed to the first and second Splatoon games.
A closer look at this list reveals Monolith Soft to be a true workhorse for Nintendo. The JRPG stalwart also contributed to the creation of Project X Zone for the Nintendo 3DS, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (and its forthcoming sequel), and others.
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In my perspective, Monolith Soft’s rise to prominence has been one of the most exciting in the game industry. Tetsuya Takahashi, a former Square Enix developer, founded the studio in 1999. The studio got its start with the Xenosaga trilogy for the PS2. After that, it produced the JRPG series Baten Kaitos on the Gamecube before being acquired by Nintendo in 2007. The release of Xenoblade Chronicles came three years later.
In the years that followed, Xenoblade attracted a sizable fan base and finally established itself as a reliable Nintendo IP. The inclusion of the main character Shulk in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS, and subsequently the addition of Pyra and Mythra as DLC characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, undoubtedly helped.
Additionally, Monolith Soft doesn’t appear to be slowing down. It is a significant Breath of the Wild 2 developer, is working on a new IP, and has suggested that the Xenoblade series may continue.
Also to look forward to is the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 expansion pass content, which will include a sizable plot extension in 2023. Overall, this is a really great time to live.