Looking back at Nintendo’s greatest acquisition
Posted on 2 years ago by Luiz in Features, Videos | 0 comments
In the context of the recent news regarding Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, I decided to look back at Monolith Soft’s trajectory inside Nintendo. The studio was acquired in 2007 and it’s interesting to see how it grew to be almost essential for Nintendo’s biggest franchises.
If you’ve been following Nintendo in recent years, you are probably familiar with the name “Monolith Soft”. The studio garnered a lot of respect for its work on the Xenoblade series and supporting some other Nintendo franchises, such as Zelda.
You can check the video down below for our thoughts on Nintendo’s acquisition of Monolith Soft.
More: highlight, Monolith Soft, top
Stephen Critchlow, the voice of Bana in Xenoblade 2, has passed away
Posted on 3 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments
We’re sad to report that British actor Stephen Critchlow has passed away. He died at the age of 54.
Critchlow had a number of roles spread across television, theater, and voice acting. He has a strong connection to Xenoblade Chronicles 2 having voiced Bana in the 2017 Switch RPG. Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward, Dragon Quest Heroes, and the Killzone series were among the other titles Critchlow worked on.
[Let’s Talk] Xenoblade Chronicles 3 hopes and dreams
Posted on 3 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk, Switch | 0 comments
You don’t need to hear from us that Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is almost certainly happening. The series has only increased in popularity over the past few years, and the first two games have done quite well on Switch. But if that wasn’t enough, a report came out last month that Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is in its final stages of development and could launch as early as the first half of 2022.
We know almost nothing about the game aside from a few unconfirmed tidbits from last month’s rumor, so right now’s our chance to dream. What do you personally hope to see in Xenoblade Chronicles 3? Let us know in the comments below.
More: highlight, Monolith Soft, top, Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Rumor: Xenoblade Chronicles 3 on the way, nearing final stages of development, first tidbits
Posted on 3 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Rumors, Switch | 0 comments
Based on a new report from Fanbyte, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is on the way, and is apparently not too far off from completion. The site claims to have first tidbits about the project and its development as well.
Fanbyte decided to go live with its report following some recent comments made by actress Jenna Coleman, who plays Melia in the series. She took on a fan question with YouTube channel Din’s Meteorite, in which she stated:
More: Monolith Soft, top, Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Monolith Soft reports 138.2% profit increase, Xenoblade a key contributor
Posted on 3 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments
Monolith Soft reported its financial results this week, and it turns out that the Nintendo subsidiary had a fantastic year. For the fiscal period ending March 2021, profit was reported at 1.171 billion yen. That’s by far the highest amount for the company over the past several years.
During the previous fiscal year, Monolith Soft recorded a profit of 491 million yen. That’s an increase of 138.2 percent.
Here’s a look at Monolith Soft’s operating profit over the years:
Bandai Namco registers new trademarks for Baten Kaitos and Baten Kaitos Origins in Europe
Posted on 3 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in GameCube, General Nintendo, News | 0 comments
Before Monolith Soft created Xenoblade, the developer worked on a number of other titles. Baten Kaitos was one brief RPG series the studio was known for. The original game as well as its prequel – Baten Kaitos Origins – were GameCube exclusives. This was back when Monolith Soft was with Bandai Namco.
The Baten Kaitos IP has been dormant since Origins released in 2006. There were some talks about a DS entry that never came to be, but that’s pretty much it.
It’s interesting then that new trademarks have surfaced in Europe. Baten Kaitos and Baten Kaitos Origins were both filed today. That doesn’t exactly mean that they’ll be rereleased or that Bandai Namco has any plans for the series, but we would certainly welcome HD remasters on Switch if that were to ever happen.
Monolith Soft shares new Xenoblade Chronicles 2 art to promote recruitment of graduates
Posted on 3 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Images, Switch | 0 comments
Monolith Soft has shared a new piece of art for Xenoblade Chronicles 2, which was designed by the company’s Masumi Senoo. You can check it out above.
The artwork wasn’t released randomly. Monolith Soft updated its website today with information regarding recruitment guidelines for new graduates. The site won’t have much interest for fans of Monolith Soft, but we’ll certainly take any new Xenoblade art we can get.
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition – final version of the upcoming Melia figure revealed
Posted on 3 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments
Last May, a new figure for Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition was revealed for Melia based on her appearance in Future Connected. We then saw a prototype version a few months later.
Tying in with the WonHobby 32 event, we now have a look at the final version of the 1/7 scale figure for Melia. You can see the design above.
There’s no word yet on when the Melia figure will be ready for production, but hopefully it’ll be finished by the end of the year.
Monolith Soft president on the company’s growth, future prospects of the industry
Posted on 3 years ago by Oni Dino(@Oni_Dino) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments
In a previous issue of Famitsu, the publication spoke with Monolith Soft president Hirohide Sugiura. One of the topics discussed was how Monolith Soft has grown in scale, and Sugiura’s vision for the future.
He shared the following with the Japanese magazine:
More: Hirohide Sugiura, interview, Monolith Soft, top
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 character designer celebrates third anniversary with special art
Posted on 3 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Images, Switch | 0 comments
It’s been three years since Xenoblade Chronicles 2 launched on Switch. In honor of the occasion, character designer Masatsugu Saito created a new piece of art featuring Pyra and Mythra. We’ve attached the image above.
