Nintendo keeps growing, this time snagging the remaining 4% of shares to gain full ownership of Monolith Soft, the studio behind the hit Xenoblade Chronicles series.
This purchase marks the end of a long journey for Nintendo, which has been steadily increasing its stake in the company since first acquiring a majority share back in 2007. The aquisition was announced on Monolith’s own website.
Monolith Soft, founded in 1999 by former Square Enix developers, has been a key player in Nintendo’s game development ecosystem. Beyond their own successful Xenoblade franchise, they’ve lent their expertise to other major Nintendo titles like The Legend of Zelda, Splatoon, and Animal Crossing.
The gaming community’s reaction to this news has been a mixed bag of excitement and concern. Many fans are hopeful that this move will lead to more Xeno games and possibly even HD remakes of classics like Xenogears and Xenosaga.
However, there’s also speculation about potential leadership changes, particularly regarding the future involvement of Monolith’s president, Tetsuya Takahashi, who is nearing retirement age.
This acquisition raises questions about Monolith Soft’s future creative direction and game strategy. Some gamers are optimistic that full Nintendo ownership could mean improved graphics and performance in future titles.
Others wonder if this might lead to broader merchandising opportunities and a push to elevate Xenoblade to the same level of marketability as Nintendo’s top-tier franchises. The community is also curious to see if they will protect their acquired IP just as rigorously as their own brands.
It’s worth noting that while Nintendo now has complete control over Monolith Soft, this doesn’t affect the ownership of some older Monolith-related IPs. Xenogears, for instance, still belongs to Square Enix, while Bandai Namco retains the rights to Xenosaga.
For Nintendo, this move solidifies their commitment to strengthening their in-house development capabilities. Monolith Soft’s expertise in creating vast, immersive worlds and their support role in other Nintendo projects make them a valuable asset as the company looks towards future hardware generations.
