Developer notes from Xenoblade series creator and Monolith Soft director Tetsuya Takahashi have been translated and shared online, and they reveal an interesting take on the future of the series — that the next game will be "vastly different" from previous entries.
The message comes from the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Limited Edition soundtrack and has been translated by Mira (via My Nintendo News), a blog dedicated to translating and looking into the Xeno meta-series, which includes Xenosaga and Xenogears — both also created by Takahashi.
The soundtrack comes with a booklet that includes the message from Takahashi, but unlike the Trinity Box, the notes here are only included in Japanese. Mira's translation, then, shares some insights on the music of Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Specifically, the director talks about this when he's reflecting on the game's "big" song — 'Carrying the Weight of Life' — and the game's theme of "'not be afraid of change and walk into the future,'". He talks about why he chose to use the iconic track only twice in the game, "when it was fitting for the situation, and when it felt suitable to me, personally. It’s a compromise between “service” and “goal,”... "
Takahashi then follows up these comments by looking ahead, and using that theme of change to look into the future of the series he's worked on for over ten years:
"Rather than playing on defense, going on the offense; change rather than maintain. This is a stance that I have continued to hold for thirty years. If there is another “Xenoblade,” it will likely be something vastly different from what came before. In style and in music, I would like to make my next goal something that will betray everyone’s expectations, in a good way."
What could "vastly different" mean for the Xenoblade series? There's a consistent look and feel across all three mainline games, with an MMORPG-style take on turn-based combat, so perhaps Monolith Soft will change the direction of the gameplay? More action-oriented? It's hard to say.
Takahashi admits that striking a balance between "a way to reveal your work [and] a way to service users" is one of the most challenging parts of game development, and his reflections on Xenoblade 3's themes reveal his thoughts on that.
Regardless, what we can take from this message is that if Xenoblade is to continue — on the Switch 2 or whatever it ends up being called — it'll be a big change for the series. With Monolith Soft's vast experience (working on other Nintendo titles such as Splatoon 3 and Tears of the Kingdom) we're sure it will turn out to be an incredible experience.