Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Reportedly Late into Development, Has Returning Characters

According to a report from Fanbyte news editor Imran Khan, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is “nearing its final stages of development” at Monolith Soft and might be revealed this year, though its release date is still a while off. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 will also reportedly take place in the distant future, with some characters from the series returning for the story, including Melia.

The third entry was apparently supposed to be revealed earlier this year but was held back due to the impact of the pandemic and challenges with optimizing the game for Nintendo Switch. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is reportedly aiming to feature more on-screen enemy and player character models than in the past. Fanbyte states the studio’s original goal was to launch in winter 2021, but it is now more likely to release in the first half of next year.

Today’s report follows a June interview video clip that resurfaced over the weekend with Doctor Who and Xenoblade Chronicles actor Jenna Coleman that attracted the attention of Xenoblade fans. In the video from YouTube channel Din’s Meteorite, Coleman suggested that a third game was on the way, stating: “I did (Xenoblade Chronicles) pre-Doctor Who days, and when they did the second one, they just asked me to come back. And I think they’re going to do another. Is that common knowledge? Don’t know. But yeah, I think they’re going to do another. Don’t know if I’m allowed to say that.”

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 arrived on Switch in 2017, while a remaster of the original game, titled Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition, came to the console last year. Monolith and Nintendo have not made any official announcement of a Xenoblade Chronicles 3 to date. However, Khan did previously accurately report on the existence of Stranger of Paradise prior to E3 2021, so the majority of this new information is likely accurate.