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Monolith Soft (Xenoblade X) is working on several projects

S

Sammy Samusu

Member
Investor: I would like to ask about the lineup for Wii U software. For Wii, a few games like “Xenoblade” and “Zangeki no Reginleiv” (Japanese title), which provide more immersive experiences when played alone, rather than when played with your friends and family in the living room, were released in a row. However, there are no games like those ones for Wii U. Has the policy changed for Wii U? Regarding the type of games that you play by yourself, I know there are plans for the release of the sequels to “Xenoblade” and “Bayonetta 2,” but it has been two years since the Wii U was launched, and I would like to hear an explanation for this blank period.

Takahashi: Regarding your question on the lateness of Wii U titles for advanced game players, you are absolutely correct. However, at E3 this year, we announced “Xenoblade Chronicles X,” which is being developed under Mr. Tetsuya Takahashi from MONOLITH SOFTWARE INC. I hope you will think of this game as one in the “Xenoblade” series, not a sequel to “Xenoblade” for Wii. We are planning to announce details of this software’s content through various channels.

Miyamoto: As Mr. Takahashi previously said, our subsidiary, MONOLITH SOFTWARE INC., is working on several projects, and PlatinumGames Inc. has announced two titles for the “Bayonetta” series. It took time, but we are now able to develop software suitable for Wii U, and we would like to release new titles from now on.
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Q7: http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/stock/meeting/140627qa/02.html

Given the context, it would seem that Monolith Soft is working on multiple games for Wii U.

yplnal.gif


(Xenoblade X for Wii U make sure to pre-order it)
 
They worked on Project X Zone for 3DS. Working on Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem wouldn't be abnormal along with Zelda speculation.
 
GameE said:
I think he was talking about Monolith assisting with other projects
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Here is the actual comment from Takahashi he is referencing:

Regarding your question on the lateness of Wii U titles for advanced game players, you are absolutely correct. However, at E3 this year, we announced “Xenoblade Chronicles X,” which is being developed under Mr. Tetsuya Takahashi from MONOLITH SOFTWARE INC. I hope you will think of this game as one in the “Xenoblade” series, not a sequel to “Xenoblade” for Wii. We are planning to announce details of this software’s content through various channels.
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That makes it sound like Miyamoto is talking about multiple Xenoblade games. However, given that he follows it up with comments about 2 Bayonetta games, I wonder if it means that they are working on porting the original Xenoblade to WiiU.
 
tokkun said:
Here is the actual comment from Takahashi he is referencing:



That makes it sound like Miyamoto is talking about multiple Xenoblade games. However, given that he follows it up with comments about 2 Bayonetta games, I wonder if it means that they are working on porting the original Xenoblade to WiiU.
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It's more like he's saying that the plot doesn't follow on from Xenoblade. It isn't Xenoblade 2, let's see what these guys are up to now. It's a game with similar gameplay and thematic elements.

It's like Dragon Quest, Tales or Final Fantasy. A series that isn't bound by a shared continuity between titles.
 
I thought it ws a given this meant they were assisting other studios with other projects? They've got a Kyoto studio set up exactly for that reason, and prior history with assitsing in projects like Skyward Sword.

I don't see how it's likely they're working on more Wii U games when Xenoblade X is almost without question running Takahashi's team at full capacity. The original Xenoblade was a big project for them, and the sequel has got all the increased dev requirements that HD development brings.

tokkun said:
Here is the actual comment from Takahashi he is referencing:

That makes it sound like Miyamoto is talking about multiple Xenoblade games. However, given that he follows it up with comments about 2 Bayonetta games, I wonder if it means that they are working on porting the original Xenoblade to WiiU.
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I took it as meaning they intend for Xenoblade to be a long-running franchise, and X is the next instalment in a series they plan to keep around for a while. Their own equivalent to Final Fantasy essentially. Which is exciting in and of itself, but doesn't necessarily mean that there's anything else in the works currently.
 
SatoAilDarko said:
It's more like he's saying that the plot doesn't follow on from Xenoblade. It isn't Xenoblade 2, let's see what these guys are up to now. It's a game with similar gameplay and thematic elements.

It's like Dragon Quest, Tales or Final Fantasy. A series that isn't bound by a shared continuity between titles.
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Then how do you connect it to Miyamoto immediately following it up by saying 'As Takahashi said, they are working on multiple titles'?
 
Not surprising... They have been working on Xenoblade X for over four years now. Perhaps it would be out by now if they could have allocated all of their resources on it :(.
 
TitusGroan said:
I thought it ws a given this meant they were assisting other studios with other projects? They've got a Kyoto studio set up exactly for that reason, and prior history with assitsing in projects like Skyward Sword.

I don't see how it's likely they're working on more Wii U games when Xenoblade X is almost without question running Takahashi's team at full capacity. The original Xenoblade was a big project for them, and the sequel has got all the increased dev requirements that HD development brings.

I took it as meaning they intend for Xenoblade to be a long-running franchise, and X is the next instalment in a series they plan to keep around for a while. Their own equivalent to Final Fantasy essentially. Which is exciting in and of itself, but doesn't necessarily mean that there's anything else in the works currently.
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I reckon it's a reasonable conclusion in the context of the question and initial answer though - "where are the immersive single player experiences for advanced players?" and all that, and the suggestion that we've got XCX and Bayonetta 1 & 2 on the way, followed immediately by "Monolith working on several projects".
 
tokkun said:
Then how do you connect it to Miyamoto immediately following it up by saying 'As Takahashi said, they are working on multiple titles'?
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They're supporting other Nintendo studios with their projects. Miyamoto's comment about Xenoblade was about it being a part of a larger series. The multiple projects thing is in all likelihood referring to helping out on something like Zelda U, SMTxFE or another project.

I'd love to be wrong, but we've done this dance before. Monolith Soft have already been shown to have contributed to other projects like Skyward Sword. Just last year, Gaffers were convincing themselves that Retro has a full second team that was working on a project concurrently with Tropical Freeze. People were convinced that Koizume and EAD Tokyo were working on a big new IP alongside 3D World, when it turned out to be NES Remix.

We have seen this thing time and again with people hyping themselves silly over Nintendo second projects that don't exist. History shows us that Monolith Soft have history as a support studio. For the time being, it is best to assume that they're functioning in that capacity, rather than assuming that on top of working on their biggest RPG project ever, they've also got other full projects on the boil as well.

Be sensible here people. I love the hype train as much as anyone, but E3 is over now.
 
It's not too far-fetched to assume that Monolith Soft (excluding Kyoto studio here) is working on something else than Xenoblade Chronicles X. During Wii/DS era they worked on Super Smash Bros. Brawl (co-developed), Soma Bringer, Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier, Disaster: Day of Crisis, Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans and Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier EXCEED. That's six titles. Of course that's just what Wikipedia says but it sounds about right. In Wii U/3DS era they have only worked on Project X Zone and Xenoblade Chronicles X. Makes sense to me that's not all they have.

TitusGroan said:
I'd love to be wrong, but we've done this dance before. Monolith Soft have already been shown to have contributed to other projects like Skyward Sword. Just last year, Gaffers were convincing themselves that Retro has a full second team that was working on a project concurrently with Tropical Freeze. People were convinced that Koizume and EAD Tokyo were working on a big new IP alongside 3D World, when it turned out to be NES Remix.
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Captain Toad though? The way I understand it: in addition to the next 3D Mario game they were working on Captain Toad that's now coming out in the next five months.

TitusGroan said:
They're supporting other Nintendo studios with their projects. Miyamoto's comment about Xenoblade was about it being a part of a larger series. The multiple projects thing is in all likelihood referring to helping out on something like Zelda U, SMTxFE or another project.

We have seen this thing time and again with people hyping themselves silly over Nintendo second projects that don't exist. History shows us that Monolith Soft have history as a support studio. For the time being, it is best to assume that they're functioning in that capacity, rather than assuming that on top of working on their biggest RPG project ever, they've also got other full projects on the boil as well.
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That's only the studio in Kyoto though.
 
Please polish Xenoblade X as much as possible before you start focusing on other projects.The animations during combat could definitely need a bit more work because right now they look rather stiff.Some idle animations would also make the characters feel a bit more alive.
 
random25 said:
Isn't the Baten Kaitos franchise owned by Namco Bandai?
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Namco Bandai does not own Baten Kaitos. The IP, for some reason, belongs to Monolith Soft rather than Namco (who published the original game). Thus when Monolith was bought by Nintendo, they gained control of the IP. Basically, Nintendo does not own the IP, but they own Monolith Soft who owns the IP, so they basically own the IP. It is interesting to note that Nintendo published Baten Kaitos Origins, which Namco had nothing to do with, prior to purchasing Monolith Soft.
 
I'd do anything for a new Baten Kaitos game, the original is my 2nd favorite gamer ever (I loved origins but I prefer the firsts battle system, magnus changes, and characters more, but sedna was so beautiful -tear- lol) my life would be complete with that, or a HD remaster of the first two for wii u. The gamepad would be great for battles
 
TitusGroan said:
They're supporting other Nintendo studios with their projects. Miyamoto's comment about Xenoblade was about it being a part of a larger series. The multiple projects thing is in all likelihood referring to helping out on something like Zelda U, SMTxFE or another project.

I'd love to be wrong, but we've done this dance before. Monolith Soft have already been shown to have contributed to other projects like Skyward Sword. Just last year, Gaffers were convincing themselves that Retro has a full second team that was working on a project concurrently with Tropical Freeze. People were convinced that Koizume and EAD Tokyo were working on a big new IP alongside 3D World, when it turned out to be NES Remix.

We have seen this thing time and again with people hyping themselves silly over Nintendo second projects that don't exist. History shows us that Monolith Soft have history as a support studio. For the time being, it is best to assume that they're functioning in that capacity, rather than assuming that on top of working on their biggest RPG project ever, they've also got other full projects on the boil as well.

Be sensible here people. I love the hype train as much as anyone, but E3 is over now.
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Takahashi: "Consider Xenoblade X to be an entry in a series, not a sequel to Xenoblade."
Miyamoto: "As Takahashi said, Monolith is working on multiple projects."

Takahashi said nothing about Monolith aside from considering Xenoblade as a series. So Miyamoto's comments about multiple projects are either referring to the Xenoblade series or he wasn't paying attention to what Takahashi said and made a mistake.

I don't think the suggesting that Monolith may be overseeing a port of Xenoblade to the WiiU is equivalent to thinking that Retro has a 2nd development team working on a secret title. The effort of porting from Wii to WiiU is probably not that big; WiiU runs Wii games, Xenoblade works fine in Dolphin, and we just saw Platinum announce a Bayonetta port that they are giving away for free. So I don't think it's such a far-fetched idea.
 
Sendou said:
It's not too far-fetched to assume that Monolith Soft (excluding Kyoto studio here) is working on something else than Xenoblade Chronicles X. During Wii/DS era they worked on Super Smash Bros. Brawl (co-developed), Soma Bringer, Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier, Disaster: Day of Crisis, Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans and Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier EXCEED. That's six titles. Of course that's just what Wikipedia says but it sounds about right. In Wii U/3DS era they have only worked on Project X Zone and Xenoblade Chronicles X. Makes sense to me that's not all they have.
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Wii U software requirs exponentially more manpower and resources, as Miyamoto himself said in the Q&A.

Captain Toad though? The way I understand it: in addition to the next 3D Mario game they were working on Captain Toad that's now coming out in the next five months.
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They may have perhaps started on Captain Toad when they were finishing up 3D World, but I think it's clear that the game is meant as an expansion of sort to 3D World, and is what the majority of the 3D World team is working on now. Gaffers were hyping themselves over a new Koizume IP, which definitively turned out to be NES Remix, not the grand AAA adventure they were envisioning.

That's only the studio in Kyoto though.
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Indeed, and I imagine their main studio is currently using whatever staff they haven't got doing support duty to finish up Xenoblade X, which let us remind ourselves, not only looks to be the biggest game they've ever done, but is also an HD game that requires HD assets.

I know this sounds cynical, but I don't understand where Monolith Soft is supposed to be magicking up these extra developers from to be working on new Wii U or 3DS games. They're not a huge studio, and they already seem to be fully booked. Where is the manpower for these other new games people are getting excited for? I know Nintendo has been doing expansions at EAD, but where is this extra development resource for Monolith Soft coming from?
 
TDLink said:
Namco Bandai does not own Baten Kaitos. The IP, for some reason, belongs to Monolith Soft rather than Namco (who published the original game). Thus when Monolith was bought by Nintendo, they gained control of the IP. Basically, Nintendo does not own the IP, but they own Monolith Soft who owns the IP, so they basically own the IP. It is interesting to note that Nintendo published Baten Kaitos Origins, which Namco had nothing to do with, prior to purchasing Monolith Soft.
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But...

http://www.trademarkia.com/baten-kaitos-76413946.html

http://www.trademarkia.com/baten-kaitos-origins-76662310.html
 
TDLink said:
Namco Bandai does not own Baten Kaitos. The IP, for some reason, belongs to Monolith Soft rather than Namco (who published the original game). Thus when Monolith was bought by Nintendo, they gained control of the IP. Basically, Nintendo does not own the IP, but they own Monolith Soft who owns the IP, so they basically own the IP. It is interesting to note that Nintendo published Baten Kaitos Origins, which Namco had nothing to do with, prior to purchasing Monolith Soft.
Click to expand...
This is wrong. Namco owns the IP, and even though they didn't publish the second game, they were still producers on the title, and their logo is in the credits. Look for "NGBI" in the BKO credits.
 
TDLink said:
Namco Bandai does not own Baten Kaitos. The IP, for some reason, belongs to Monolith Soft rather than Namco (who published the original game). Thus when Monolith was bought by Nintendo, they gained control of the IP. Basically, Nintendo does not own the IP, but they own Monolith Soft who owns the IP, so they basically own the IP. It is interesting to note that Nintendo published Baten Kaitos Origins, which Namco had nothing to do with, prior to purchasing Monolith Soft.
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Oh thanks! I had the first one and I thought it was owned by Namco since they were the publishers.

Edit: From above, maybe Baten Kaitos franchise ownership needs some more clarification.
 
Hero of Legend said:
But...

http://www.trademarkia.com/baten-kaitos-76413946.html

http://www.trademarkia.com/baten-kaitos-origins-76662310.html
Click to expand...

Aeana said:
This is wrong. Namco owns the IP, and even though they didn't publish the second game, they were still producers on the title, and their logo is in the credits. Look for "NGBI" in the BKO credits.
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Apparently I'm wrong.

random25 said:
Oh thanks! I had the first one and I thought it was owned by Namco since they were the publishers.
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Sorry for the misinformation.
 
More Monolith is fine by me... especially if we get a new Baten Kaitos out of the deal. I'm kinda interested in whatever that 3DS game concept art that came out a while back was too...
 
Working on multiple projects is vague in itself. Could mean collabing on other existing projects for Quality Assurance, and can mean Wii U or 3DS. Hoping for more RPG originals and things like Baten Kaitos is pointless speculation off of said vague wording.

The only information you take from this is that Xeno X is to Xenoblade Chronicles as Final Fantasy 2 is to Final Fantasy 1.

Spiritual Successor only connected by similar themes and maybe character races, other then that completely separate.
 
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