Could a brand-new Xenoblade Chronicles entry be in the works? Or is Monolith Soft working on something else entirely? Those are the questions posed by the studio’s recent confirmation that it is working on a new project, as Final Fantasy legend Tetsuya Takahashi looks to recruit fresh-faced talent.
With two years having passed since Xenoblade Chronicles 3, the anticipation for a new Switch game from Monolith Soft is exceptionally high. In a recent social media post, the studio expresses it is “now recruiting development staff for a new RPG directed by Tetsuya Takahashi.” However, the part you should be excited about is tucked away in the studio’s personalized call out for Takahashi.
Speaking on the status of the forthcoming title, Takahashi says that the potential Switch RPG is “taking on many new challenges compared to previous Monolith Soft titles. Naturally, the content to be created is becoming more sophisticated, so we need many talented people.” The Xenoblade Chronicles franchise has given us vast open-world games to sink our teeth into, but something about this statement feels grandiose.
In order to meet the needs of an ever-changing landscape, Takahashi clarifies that “Monolith Soft has been producing games with a small number of people compared to the scale of the titles we make. This was something we were proud of, but the current situation in the gaming scene means that we can no longer say so.”
Despite increasing constraints to emerge with a fresh title, Takahashi believes the studio remains unique for its “relatively rough and sloppy” approach.
But what exactly could Monolith Soft be crafting? The obvious answer would be Xenoblade Chronicles 4, but perhaps the developer is revisiting the Project X Zone series. All of Monolith Soft’s Nintendo Switch output has been purely Xenoblade-focused, so a change of pace with a familiar franchise might just be the studio’s desired path.
We absolutely loved the last slice of Xenoblade Chronicles goodness, as you can see in our glowing Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed review. Until we learn more about Monolith Soft’s plans, we’ll be brushing up on Xenoblade Chronicles timeline knowledge.