
Monolith Soft, the studio behind the Xenoblade Chronicles series, is expanding its in-house engine for use on future titles thanks to its newly-founded R&D department (thanks, Automaton).
That is according to the company’s Chief Creative Officer Tetsuya Takahashi and lead programmer Michihiko Inaba, who, in a recent interview with Japanese outlet CGworld, spoke about the company's plans for the future as it plans to tackle bigger development projects.
According to Inaba, the currently in-development engine is based on the one the company created for 2010's Xenoblade Chronicles, with the goal being to one day have it fully managed by the internal R&D team. For the time being, several different development teams are working on the engine's modelling and effect technologies before all are compiled into the finished product.
Despite the difficulties of maintaining an engine in-house, Takahashi believes it will all be worthwhile: "We don't currently have the option of using engines made by other companies," he told CGworld, "This is because in-house engines are easier to customise to suit our needs and are easier to use".
According to Takahashi, Monolith Soft has wanted an internal R&D department for years, though it had too few employees to make it happen without detracting from the development team. That was until the company started working with Nintendo, "as the scale of development became larger, the level of demands for development also increased".
These increasing demands lead to an increased workforce and, in turn, room for an R&D team. The new department (helmed by Inaba) aims to streamline the development process, support tool development, and research/develop new technologies, all of which seem like solid choices as the company looks to future titles.
As for what the company's future holds, we're just going to have to wait and see. We were blown away by Xenoblade Chronicles 3 when it landed on Switch in 2022, so we'd hope that the team is cooking something up for 'Switch 2' (though that is yet to be confirmed, of course). All eyes on this swanky new engine then, eh?
What do you hope to see next from Monolith Soft? Let us know in the comments.
[source cgworld.jp, via automaton-media.com]
Comments 47
Buying Monolith has got to be one of the best decisions Nintendo made in the last couple decades. They've been insanely prolific, double as a support studio, and never let their quality dip as they scaled up more. Really excited to see why they've been working on lately!
Can't wait to see their next game, although since it's only been two years since XC3 I wouldn't expect anything "new" from them until 2026/27, with maybe a XCX Remaster whilst we wait.
Still waiting on Koei for that Xenoblade Chronicles Warriors 😁.
@UltimateOtaku91 pls no warriors games for my favorite RPG series. I don't want to strong armed into playing it. All warrior games be damned.
I am a simple person. I see Monolith is involved, I buy.
@N8tiveT3ch That's fair as they aren't for everyone, but the last fire emblem warriors was pretty darn good it made me a fan of the warriors formula. Since then I've played Dragon Quest Heroes, Fate Samurai/Remnant and Persona 5 Strikers which were also very good. They can be good games if done properly.
@UltimateOtaku91 I guess...but keep my crossovers to Tetris 99 and rhythm games. Now if they could do a Xenoblade in a DMC/Bayonetta fighting style. Then count me in.
So Monolith can afford a dedicated R&D team. I wish I knew what the Pokémon Company does with all its world-leading profits.
I stand wall behind Takahashi since 1998. Keep cooking.
@swoose They're swimming in piles of it Scrooge McDuck style obviously.
That's awesome. Hope it pays off greatly for them.
Xenoblade 2 used the engine for Xenoblade X so this is no suprise.
@swoose They put it in a Gimmighoul chest and can't get it out until they've shut down 1000 fan games.
Keep in mind, during this entire 19 year process (time is an illusion in the Endless Now, but inescapable for us) Monolith also helped SRD go through at LEAST THREE different engines for EAD/EPD
I hope the Switch 2 somehow will be able to play Xenoblade X. That game is too good to be left behind on the Wii U. As far as their next game, I hope its a sequel to Xenoblade X. Xenoblade 3 had one of, if not the best ending in a game I have ever played and I would hate for it to be tampered with. A sequel to Xenoblade 3 would be like Toy Story 4.
@N8tiveT3ch Xenoblade imported into Theatrhythm would be a thing of DREAMS. It has enough scope and epic tunage that a Rhythm game would work.
Drools
Unpopular oppinion but XC2 was my favorite.
Nice, looking forward to seeing what games they will make with it!
@Sonicka I could see that and it working well.
@Kidfunkadelic83 unpopular opinion. English Rex VO is trash.
Forward and upward, Monolith Soft!
I defeated my negativity in Xenoblade Chronicles 3, now it feels like it is time for something more cheerful. It will be a masterpiece eitherway and I wish you great success.
@N8tiveT3ch English vox actor being trash is a widely popular opinion haha. I still love XC2 though in all its cheesy glory.
Some excellent news to hear in this current industry climate of lay offs and uncertainty. Great studio, great games, great future ✌️
Monolith team means the top creative people in Nintendo. All they develop is gold.
Plus XCX on WiiU is a miracle.
@Neckcrane Same here I still like the game.
Love this series but I'm not keen on the Xenoblade combat system. Would rather they go more into action RPG or turn based.
As long as their future games aren't the same style as XC2 then I'm all in!
Clearly the expanding is for Gears and Saga remake that's coming exclusively to the Switch 2 soon. :3

@swoose That's a good one. You'd expect the same quality games from the world's leading billion dollar franchise. Yet here we are with a gimped game. Monolith really puts The Pokémon Company to shame.
Please remaster Disaster: Day of Crisis!!
Very refreshing to see a studio expand during a time when so many other companies are suffering layoffs. Cannot wait to see what Monolith soft has in store for Switch 2.
I would love to see what Monolithsoft can do with more powerful hardware. Xenoblade Chronicles is my favorite JRPG series, so this team has my confidence going forward.
@UltimateOtaku91 On the topic of Warrior games... where is my Splatoon Turf Warriors spinoff? Or my Mushroom Warriors? Or my... uh... Animal Crossing Warriors? I am not kidding when I say I would buy all of those.
@Kidfunkadelic83 so I started on XC3 ...... (Turn based is my preference so it took a long time to bite), and worked my way back. Love the series but on balance, I'm the same. 2 is my favourite.
Monolith Soft is one amazing company. They strife for perfection in a way no one else does. Both Xenogears and Xenosaga were cut short from their respective publishers (yeah I know Monolith Soft was founded after Square Enix shut down Xenosaga but the team is more or less the same) and yet they still go forward with ambitious titles. I'm so glad they got bought by Nintendo which also strifes (sometimes) for perfection and doesn't hesitate to spend more time and money if it means a better game comes out. It's a beautiful marriage, another great N&M couple.
I can't wait to see how amazing their games will look and play on a more powerful Switch 2, especially now that they have a dedicated R&D team for their proprietary game engine.
I love Monolith Soft and can't wait to see what it's cooking up next!
If I could make a wish it would be Theatrythm Xenoblade Chronicles or something very similar while we wait.
Nice, just in time to start a new IP!
@CaleBoi25 Haha, may as well put them all in one game and have a super smash warriors game.
Xenoblade Chronicles is one of my all-time favorite games, and I'm sure they've iterated on that engine significantly over the years, but I'd say they're overdue for a dramatic overhaul. I don't know if it's a result of the engine's limitations or just where they put their resources, but I feel like the character models and animation have always had a few more rough edges compared to most other aspects of the series, so I'm glad they mention those as focuses for improvement during the interview. They rarely manage to maintain the framerate or resolution quality they aim for either, though those concessions are understandable given the sheer scale of the worlds they build. Hopefully the combination of new software, new hardware, and a dedicated R&D team will help them to shore up their weak points and push their strengths to even greater heights.
I hope their engine gets put to use in other Nintendo games like Pokemon and Star Fox. It would do wonders for those IPs.
That aside, I can't wait to see what they do next. Every single Xenoblade game has been a banger. I just hope the next game goes back to having amazing villains like Xenoblade 2 had. The Moebius weren't as good as Torna.
@Kidfunkadelic83 If that an unpopular opinion, then I'm glad to be unpopular.
I'm personally hoping for a remaster of Xenoblade Chronicles X, or even a sequel that delves deeper into the lore of the world and Elma's past. Or both.
I bet they will make an MMO rpg based in the Xenoblade universe
@8bit4Life
yeah thats one of the things im exited about.
im still hoping for a Xenoblade X remaster on the next system so more people can play it but also super exited for where they go next.
maybe even a sequel to X after since the game had a LOT of unresolved plot elements.
Good on them. But when is Disaster Day of Crisis Switch/Switch 2 port/remaster come on.
Give us some oddities every once in a while.
@Batfan2425 Wasn't Xenoblade X supposed to be sort of that. Sure not in a typical sense and ongoing but it felt like a different type of title. But I haven't played the main series only X so wouldn't know how they are besides this spinoff? Or whatever they were going for.
@SuntannedDuck2 X kind of was. I'm meaning huge numbers of players something like elder scrolls online or DC universe online. X didn't really do that. The other Xenoblades were single player only and are amazing games. I love Xenoblade chronicles x but it doesn't compare to the other 3 because of the lack of a story. But I do love Xenoblade chronicles X and still hope they will make a remaster of it.
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