Despite having an inseparably close relationship since the late 2000’s, Nintendo has only now completed their stake buyout of Xenoblade Chronicles developer Monolithsoft, quietly buying the remaining stake to now completely own the studio. The studio has developed games for Nintendo exclusively since 2008, with their RPGs filling a much-needed role in Nintendo’s first party, not to mention their popularity.
Noticed by Automaton, the developer’s company brochure showcases that Nintendo now owns all 2,400 shares. Nintendo had previously purchased 80 percent of its shares, or 1,920 shares, in 2007 right before the release of the developer’s DS-exclusive Soma Bringer and Super Robot Wars OG Saga in Japan, increasing its stake in 2011 to 96 percent, right after the release of Xenoblade Chronicles. Archived web pages show that Nintendo owned 2,230 shares as recently as October 1st.
Prior to Nintendo’s ownership, Monolith Soft was mostly known for developing for the PlayStation platform, where they released the Xenosaga series, though they did develop other games like Baten Kaitos on Gamecube. Co-Founder Takayuki Takahashi and Yasuyuki Honne had previously worked at Squaresoft, and Square Enix now, where they previously worked on Xenogear, which would have some influence on Monolith Soft’s two flagship series that bear similar names.
Additionally, the studio co-developed Game of The Year winner Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild, as well as its sequel Tears of The Kingdom. They also helped develop several installments of Nintendo’s cozy sim series Animal Crossing, as well as their ink-based shooter Splatoon. This is before mentioning they developed one of my favorite titles, Project x Zone, which absolutely needs another installment.
This news also comes as Monolith Soft is set to release Xenoblade Chronicles X on the Nintendo Switch early next year, making all Xenoblade games available on one platform for the first time.
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