How One Scrappy RPG Studio Could Be Nintendo’s Secret Weapon for the Switch 2
Xenoblade Chronicles creators Monolith Soft aren’t just making influential games, they’re also helping produce mega-hits like The Legend of Zelda
In eight years the Nintendo Switch has become one of the most popular video game systems of all time, kickstarting a new generation of handheld consoles that includes the likes of PC-based Asus ROG Ally and Sony’s streaming device, the PlayStation Portal. As the third best-selling console of all time, with staggering software sales, it’s easy to say the Switch has been a renaissance for Nintendo, especially coming off of the failure that was the Wii U.
And while games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017), Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2020), and Super Mario Odyssey (2017) might get the most attention, there’s another, more secret weapon that’s been brewing behind the scenes — a studio that’s had a hand in all of those games while also fostering Nintendo’s most explosive new franchise, Xenoblade.
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition (out March 20) is one of the last big games releasing on the original Switch, ten years after it was overlooked as one of the Wii U’s very best exclusive titles. It feels like a full circle moment for the studio behind Xenoblade, Monolith Soft. And while it’s not the most recognizable name, Monolith’s influence has seeped into every aspect of Nintendo during the Switch era, making it one of Nintendo’s most vital assets moving forward with the release of the Switch 2.
What is Monolith Soft?
Monolith Soft has been around for a long time, first founded in 1999 as an independent studio by Tetsuya Takahashi. For years Takahashi worked on beloved RPGs at Square, including Super Nintendo’s Final Fantasy IV, V, and VI (1991, 1992, 1994) as well as Chrono Trigger (1995). But his time there was largely defined by Xenogears (1998), the cult classic RPG for the original PlayStation that Takahashi wrote and directed.
After leaving Square, Takahashi and Monolith created more fan-favorite RPGs like Xenosaga (2002) and Baten Kaitos (2003) — games that grew dedicated niche audiences but never quite hit the mainstream. The “Xeno” name is Takahashi’s trademark, with each game sharing similar ideas and stories inspired by religious themes.
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The studio had some success, although it lacked major hits. But in 2007, Monolith was purchased by Nintendo, a move that changed their trajectory with the release of their first title under that new banner: Xenoblade Chronicles (2010). This massively ambitious RPG created an expansive open world for players to explore on the Nintendo Wii, filled with lovable characters with affecting relationships and dynamics, and a riveting story that blended elements of sci-fi and fantasy into a hopeful narrative about how a single person can affect meaningful change in the world.
Despite Monolith’s track record and mostly positive impression outside of Japan, Nintendo initially didn’t have any plans to bring Xenoblade Chronicles to the West. But there was so much demand for the game that a grassroots campaign dubbed “Operation Rainfall” was launched, tasking fans with petitioning Nintendo to localize the game.
When the game finally came to North America, it was a surprising success, both in terms of reviews and sales. So much so that Nintendo wanted another on Wii U, Xenoblade Chronicles X (2015). Then, Monolith was given the go ahead for a direct sequel on Switch, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (2017), followed by a Switch remake of the first game, Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition (2020), as well as another sequel with Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (2022). And now, in the twilight of the Nintendo Switch’s lifecycle, comes Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition (2025).
For those keeping score, that’s three brand new Xenoblade games and two remasters since 2015, and there’s even two 30-hour expansions, Torna The Golden Country (2018) and Future Redeemed (2023), added to the mix. Xenoblade has become the only Nintendo franchise where every single game in the series is playable on the Switch. Each game has also visually pushed the bounds of what Nintendo’s hardware can achieve, even more so than many of the Switch’s other first-party titles.
Through incredible art design and cel-shading techniques, these games are consistently beautiful to behold and, somehow, manage to run incredibly well on the now outdated console’s hardware. Xenoblade Chronicles X alone has an open world roughly ten times the size of Skyrim, and it’s completely seamless with zero load screens while exploring; This was even true when it launched on the Wii U, a system even less powerful than the Switch.
Xenoblade’s supremacy
The Xenoblade franchise has pushed the RPG genre forward in multiple ways. Their worlds feel just as grand in scope as famously massive games like The Elder Scrolls — presenting lush alien lands filled with tons of diverse creatures and wildlife, and hundreds of individual NPCs that often have unique stories to tell. Players are constantly rewarded for exploration, whether that’s experience points for uncovering landmarks, or engaging in heart-to-heart conversations that provide depth to each character.
Perhaps most remarkable, however, is that each Xenoblade game’s story can stand on its own while still being connected to a larger overarching narrative — all tackling religious and philosophical themes about the nature of mortality, spiritual belief, and justice. They’re some of the best stories in the RPG genre, let alone for Nintendo, whose games are often very thin on storytelling.
The achievements of Xenoblade alone are impressive, but Monolith has also served as a key support developer on some of the Switch’s biggest hits — including Breath of the Wild (2017), Splatoon 2 (2017), Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2020), Splatoon 3 (2022), and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023). While it’s not public knowledge of what exact role Monolith played on these games (Nintendo doesn’t say), the studio contributed prominently enough to list its work on their website, and are featured in the in-game credits.
That’s exactly what makes the release of Xenoblade Chronicles X as a swansong for the Switch so fitting. In retrospect, the 2015 title feels like a precursor to Breath of the Wild, with its sprawling open world design and technological wizardry that allowed an underpowered console to swing big with a game whose size was comparable to those running on beefier hardware.
Xenoblade Chronicles X dropped the heavy narrative focus of the first game to focus entirely on exploration, telling its story through side quests. In the game’s universe, Earth has just been destroyed by aliens, and the last remaining humans crashland on the planet Mira and have to build a new society. Players have to chart the planet to survive, and the entire gameplay loop of Xenoblade Chronicles X revolves around exploring the planet to find secrets, dropping probes to mine resources, and battling hostile alien forces.
That might not sound a lot like a Zelda game, but there are clear throughlines between the two. Just like with Breath of the Wild, Xenoblade Chronicles X tells its story through experiencing the world, being immersed in its cultures, and using exploration as the driving force rather than relegating exposition to cinematic cut-scenes or NPC banter. The entire gameplay loop of these two titles is remarkably similar, with heavy reliance on using the world map to help plan routes through the world and rewards consistently tucked around every corner.
Xenoblade Chronicles X’s entire open world is split up into a tile system, where every area completed bestows some kind of reward: a character story, new items, funds, resources, etc.. Breath of the Wild takes that exact same approach to incentivizing discovery. In fact, it’s one of the most celebrated aspects of the game, despite being done just as well in Xenoblade Chronicles.
Even the actual story setup of both games is ironically similar. In both, the protagonist is awoken by the game’s main heroine, have completely lost their memory, and both focus on the survivors of a great calamity — with Earth being destroyed in Xenoblade, and Ganon destroying Hyrule in Zelda.
There’s a clear line that can be drawn from Xenoblade Chronicles X to Breath of the Wild; It’s a game that made a huge impact, even despite living on the Wii U, a platform with minimal reach.
Nintendo’s secret weapon
If there are two central ideas that have defined Nintendo for decades, it’s innovation and quality. Monolith has consistently cleared those bars with Xenoblade, influencing the way that RPG developers craft their worlds and tell character-driven stories. And the cadence at which the studio has put out these games is astounding, even more so when considering that Xenoblade Chronicles 3’s release date was moved up by three months in 2022 — with the game originally planned to arrive in September, before being fast tracked to July. That’s something practically unheard of in the modern video game industry, where endless strings of delays have become the norm.
And while what part they played in the development of Nintendo’s major franchises like Splatoon or Animal Crossing remains a mystery due to Nintendo’s secretive nature, the fact that Monolith has been able to tag in to bring the Switch’s biggest hits to the finish line — all while churning out their own sequels and remakes — is a true badge of honor.
Monolith has gone from a scrappy developer, whose first game under Nintendo was never intended to be played globally, to a powerhouse in the industry. With a steady stream of high-end output, each project more ambitious than the last, the studio has become one of the most reliable entities in gaming. Behind the scenes, Monolith has become indispensable, whether they’re creating their own games or bolstering others, and their work will be a key part of Nintendo’s future with the Switch 2 — whether casual fans know it or not.
Nintendo themselves clearly recognized this, announcing in 2023 that the studio was accelerating hiring for a new, currently unnamed RPG. In March 2025, Monolith added Daisuke Honda to its roster, a cutscene director known for working on heavily cinematic-led games like Kingdom Hearts 3 (2019) and Final Fantasy XVI (2023).
With more resources and stronger hardware in the form of the Switch 2 on the horizon, Monolith’s potential for delivering even more influential games is at an all-time high. And while the studio might not have been a household name before, you should absolutely be paying attention now.
While everyone is justifiably excited for a new Mario Kart or putting together their own personal wish lists for Switch 2 titles, it’s a solid bet that Monolith will have their hands in many of the projects that will come to define this next gaming generation.
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is out March 20 on Nintendo Switch.