Monolith Software, creators of the excellentXenoblade Chroniclesfranchise, is one of the biggest developers that’s working closely with Nintendo nowadays. The company’s higher-ups were very much aware of this valuable partnership, seeing as the Big N now fully owns the studio.
Per Automaton Media, Monolith Soft recently updated itsofficial Japanese website, and now it lists Nintendo as owning 100% of the studio. This is especially interesting because, back in March 2024,Monolith Soft released a company brochurethat revealed that its founders, Tetsuya Takahashi, Yasuyuki Honne and Hirohide Sugiura, shared 4% of its ownership. So it seems that they transferred this percentage over to Nintendo, so now the gaming giant can have full control of it.
This isn’t much of a surprise, however, because Nintendo actually bought Monolith Soft back in 2007, but it still had to share part of it with the previous owner, Bandai Namco, until it raised its stake to 96% later, in 2011. But now, the Big N finally has complete control, and it seems like the perfect time for this acquisition, considering thatXenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Editionis coming out in March 2025.
Monolith Soft already did a lot for Nintendo anyway
This full acquisition was both inevitable and crucial for Nintendo. For starters, Monolith Software is entirely responsible for every singleXenoblade Chroniclesgame, including multiple remasters and expansions. This is one of the highest-quality and most beloved modern JRPG franchises, and the fact every single entry is exclusive to a Nintendo system has certainly helped the brand.
But if that wasn’t already enough,Monolith Soft also functioned as a supporting developer in many other big Nintendo gamesthat have nothing to do with theXenoblade ChroniclesIP. Its developers assisted in the development ofPikmin 3,Splatoon 3,Animal Crossing: New Horizons,and more. But their most important contribution was their assistance in the making ofThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, one of the most ambitious, successful, and influential video games that Nintendo has ever released. Needless to say, Monolith Soft is very important for this gaming giant, and hopefully, its developers will get to work on many other exciting projects now that Nintendo owns 100% of it.
