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[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Earlier this year, Xenoblade developer Monolith Soft published its Company Brochure 2024. It includes interviews with key members of the company who talked about the past and future. It’s a good time for reflection given how Monolith Soft turns 25 this year.

Hirohide Sugiura, one of the founders of Monolith Soft, shared some of the more interesting comments. Sugiura feels that the company is still in its “genesis” stage and hopes the company can keep going far into the future – maybe even 500 years.

He said:

“These 25 years seemed long but felt short. Looking back, I have built up so many memories that it’s hard to pick ones out. There have been many twists and turns, but every time a problem comes up we have faced it head-on, and enduring them has led to what we are now.

The amount of staff we have has risen dramatically compared to when we were founded in 1999, and we now have three development studios, and have had a hand in many huge games. However, I do not believe we’ve had enough of the satisfaction that comes from success and achievement. This is definitely something Monolith Soft will pursue for as long as it exists, and perhaps may never be obtainable.

If Monolith Soft were to continue existing, then we are still currently in the ‘genesis’ stage. I hope our company’s history can keep going for 100, 200, or even 500 years.”

Lastly, when asked about future goals, Sugiura had this to say:

“Instead of being satisfied with the status quo, we keep aiming for higher quality.

As I mentioned before, as long as Monolith Soft exists, our drive to never be satisfied with the status quo and aim for higher quality will never change.

To that end, we are thinking about increasing efforts to lay the groundwork for an environment where new leaders can be born.

Also, we want to keep being a company that makes customers happy. For example, beyond the framework of just video games, we want to become a charismatic company, such as by expanding further into the realm of customer service.”

Monolith Soft has been a key company for Nintendo over the years. Aside from its work on Xenoblade, it also contributed to games such as Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, the Splatoon series, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and more.

Source - Nintendo Everything

 

[IAmRei]

Their works are always captivating and inspiring <3 one of the best <3

 

[Bloobs]

Always wonder if the recent Zelda games run on their engine

 

[SHA]

AI will get expensive for no particular reason just like how game development got more expensive over the years, but I hope it won't end with taking pills to visualize the whole experience cause that would be disgusting.

 

[DeltaPolarBear]

It would certainly be hard to see things staying the same in a century. Maybe the best you can hope for is to keep the spirit of the company going, even if they sell something else.

After all, Nintendo started by making playing cards. They managed to stay Nintendo because they see themselves as a Toy Company. And Toys probably will never go away.

Video games as we know it really only existed 50 years ago. However the desire for interactive entertainment, goes back to at least the board game of Ur. 4500 years ago. Board games have all basically turned digital and are the phone games of today.

But putting down gaming as a whole, videogame studios are narrative game writers. So the question is if there is a future to narrative games? Well, story telling had been around for as long as language itself. We haven't gotten bored of a good story just yet.

In the end what happens is how you monetize gaming. How you make a living making games, cause the game itself to change. So what will happen is that what people are willing to pay for might change. Don't know if Free To Play is the end of it all, or is there a new model we don't know about in 20 years. But basically things will change, and anyone who tells you they know the future of gaming, is lying.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Time to become Moebius so I can experience Monolith Soft greatness for the next 500 years.

---

NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt Danjin44 Tagging you two guys here real quick so you don't miss out on this new Monolith Soft thread.

 

[Hudo]

It would certainly be hard to see things staying the same in a century. Maybe the best you can hope for is to keep the spirit of the company going, even if they sell something else.

After all, Nintendo started by making playing cards. They managed to stay Nintendo because they see themselves as a Toy Company. And Toys probably will never go away.

Video games as we know it really only existed 50 years ago. However the desire for interactive entertainment, goes back to at least the board game of Ur. 4500 years ago. Board games have all basically turned digital and are the phone games of today.

But putting down gaming as a whole, videogame studios are narrative game writers. So the question is if there is a future to narrative games? Well, story telling had been around for as long as language itself. We haven't gotten bored of a good story just yet.

In the end what happens is how you monetize gaming. How you make a living making games, cause the game itself to change. So what will happen is that what people are willing to pay for might change. Don't know if Free To Play is the end of it all, or is there a new model we don't know about in 20 years. But basically things will change, and anyone who tells you they know the future of gaming, is lying.

Monolith Soft shifting business in 200 years to make actual monoliths.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

I thought he was talking about the time required to do all of Xenoblade’s sidequests for a minute there

 

[Porcile]

Humans probably gonna be extinct by then so no.

 

[DeltaPolarBear]

Humans probably gonna be extinct by then so no.

It wasn't even a possibility until the atomic age. And even then it still isn't likely.

Ironically the only thing that would killing gaming, is if real life becomes a paradise. If we actually have more fun living in the real world, we wouldn't need games. But until then, games are for when we escape from reality for a little while.

 

[Hudo]

for a little while.

speak for yourself.

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

I thought he was talking about the time required to do all of Xenoblade’s sidequests for a minute there

As much as I love Xenoblade and Monolith Soft I think the side content that doesn't have any story to them to be boring. I just use them to level up faster. It's why I consider Xenoblade to be more of a JRPG with WRPG aspects to them

I hope Monolith Soft next game is something different like they did with Baten Kaitos, Xenosaga, Soma Bringer etc. I hope their next game is something more traditional turned based when it comes to JRPGs

 

[DeltaPolarBear]

speak for yourself.

I will go full Cyberpunk as soon as I no longer have parents to take care of and my debts are fully paid. Adulting while I still have to. But yeah, otherwise waiting for Singularity to happen.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

As much as I love Xenoblade and Monolith Soft I think the side content that doesn't have any story to them to be boring. I just use them to level up faster. It's why I consider Xenoblade to be more of a JRPG with WRPG aspects to them

I hope Monolith Soft next game is something different like they did with Baten Kaitos, Xenosaga, Soma Bringer etc. I hope their next game is something more traditional turned based when it comes to JRPGs

I have such a love/hate relationship with the Xenoblade games. It’s like they went out of their way to fall into every pitfall of open-world game design and throw in every time-wasting mechanic they could think of. 3 was the best in this regard so they are moving in the right direction at least.

No thanks on the turn-based combat though. I’ve had more than my fill of traditional turn-based JRPG combat, I can’t stomach anymore.

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

I have such a love/hate relationship with the Xenoblade games. It’s like they went out of their way to fall into every pitfall of open-world game design and throw in every time-wasting mechanic they could think of. 3 was the best in this regard so they are moving in the right direction at least.

No thanks on the turn-based combat though. I’ve had more than my fill of traditional turn-based JRPG combat, I can’t stomach anymore.

The reason why Kiseki is my favorite JRPG franchises is that even the NPCs are given detail and personalities. The side content even the smallest ones have a story that is good.

For me when it comes to Xenoblade Chronicles side content. I only finish the ones that actually have story content

I can see why you aren't a fan of turned based. For me I love all types of combat styles when it comes to JRPGs

I hope for the next Xenoblade they make the side content less but as a result have more meaty stories to them

 

[NanaMiku]

Wow 25 years of Monolith Soft. I'm so happy for them.
Their time before Nintendo was really rough. Xenogears failed to be a series, Xenosaga was cut short.
Now, they are one of Nintendo's biggest assets, helping big titles.

For the 14th anniversary of Xenoblade, Honne also shared that the model for Xenoblade presentation are still in great condition.

I hope for the next Xenoblade they make the side content less but as a result have more meaty stories to them

Yeah, Xenoblade 3 was a great direction towards that. The side quest where they need to talk first in the camp is pretty meaty. They need to make the side quest more like substory in Like a Dragon

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

Wow 25 years of Monolith Soft. I'm so happy for them.
Their time before Nintendo was really rough. Xenogears failed to be a series, Xenosaga was cut short.
Now, they are one of Nintendo's biggest assets, helping big titles.

For the 14th anniversary of Xenoblade, Honne also shared that the model for Xenoblade presentation are still in great condition.

I hope they continue to grow in success and branch out a little from Xenoblade/Xeno games personally

I was always interested in thier Non JRPG like Disaster Day of Crisis. I'm interested in seeing a new type of game like that coming from them

Yeah, Xenoblade 3 was a great direction towards that. The side quest where they need to talk first in the camp is pretty meaty. They need to make the side quest more like substory in Like a Dragon

I had issues with XC3 but that's one thing I agree with

 

[NanaMiku]

Wow, didn't know they also helped the Zelda series since Skyward Sword and Animal Crossing since New Leaf

I hope they continue to grow in success and branch out a little from Xenoblade/Xeno games personally

I was always interested in thier Non JRPG Disaster Day of Crisis. I'm interested in seeing a new type like that from them

I had issues with XC3 but that's one thing I agree with

Yeah, I really like Disaster Day of Crisis. I'm a sucker for disaster games (I really like Disaster Report). Hopefully we will get new games that are not just from Tetsuya Takahashi.

 

[BennyBlanco]

Top 5 dev in the industry IMO

 

[NanaMiku]

500 years?

EDIT: Shit, I just realized 500 years is also a reference to Xenoblade 2, the time between Torna DLC and the main game

 

[Ma-Yuan]

I hope they can get all Xeno games done they want to unlike when they were part of namco.

 

[Danjin44]

one of my favourite devs out there.

 

[Shut0wen]

Not unless you make a 30 million sale game you retard

 

[Icymanipulator]

I only played the first XBC games, but I do hope they will continue to make games for 100s of years. Great devs.

 

[NanaMiku]

I hope they can get all Xeno games done they want to unlike when they were part of namco.

They just finished the Klaus saga without any problems. It seems Takahashi also learned not to make the saga too long

 

[majorgamer10]

How counterculture.

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

How counterculture.

What counterculture?