Nintendo now fully owns Xenoblade’s Monolith Soft
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Nintendo now fully owns Xenoblade's Monolith Soft
Nintendo Now Fully Owns Monolith Soft
Big news for Nintendo fans! Monolith Soft, the studio behind the acclaimed Xenoblade Chronicles series, is now wholly owned by Nintendo.
A Long-Standing Partnership
Based in Tokyo and Kyoto, Monolith Soft has been a key partner for Nintendo for over two decades. They’ve contributed significantly to major titles like Animal Crossing: New Horizons and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Nintendo initially acquired 80% of Monolith Soft in 2007 from Bandai Namco, increasing its stake to 96% in 2011. Recently, Nintendo quietly finalized its acquisition of the remaining shares, as indicated on Monolith Soft’s website.
From Smaller Titles to Xenoblade Success
Monolith Soft started its Nintendo-exclusive journey in 2008 with various titles. However, the 2010 release of Xenoblade Chronicles propelled them to fame. The series has seen three sequels, with Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition launching on Switch in March 2025.
Beyond Xenoblade: A Wide Range of Contributions
Beyond its own franchises, Monolith Soft has provided substantial development support to Nintendo’s internal teams, contributing to all three Splatoon games, recent Animal Crossing titles, and the Zelda series (Skyward Sword, A Link Between Worlds, Breath of the Wild, and Tears of the Kingdom).
What’s Next?
The question now is: what will Monolith Soft create next, especially with the upcoming Switch 2?
