Third Xenoblade Chronicles Game Reportedly Nearing Final Stages Of Development

According to Fanbyte, a third mainline entry in the Xenoblade Chronicles series is reportedly currently in development and is nearing completion. Back in June, Jenna Coleman, who voices Melia Antiqua in the series, recalled her time working on Xenoblade Chronicles in a video chat with a smaller gaming YouTube channel called Din's Meteorite.

"It was a long time ago, I did it pre-Doctor Who days and when they did the second one, they asked me to come back," she explains. "And I think they’re going to do another. Common knowledge? Don’t know. Yeah, I think they’re going to do another. Not sure if I’m allowed to say that."

Fanbyte's sources say that the third mainline game is a sequel to Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and takes place much farther in the future. Melia would be a returning character in the game, as she is of the High Entia race which ages far slower, and as a result, she has outlived her human companions. Furthermore, Coleman would be aware of a third game if she was already asked to reprise her role.

The game was also reportedly supposed to be revealed earlier this year, but development during the pandemic has been difficult. However, it may still be revealed before the end of this year. Optimization for the game on Nintendo Switch has reportedly been hard as well. In particular, the game is trying to incorporate more character models on screen than previous titles in the series, which includes both playable party members and enemies.

Additionally, YouTuber Direct-Feed Games has corroborated the report, saying that Monolith Soft and Nintendo originally planned to reveal the game several months ago. The game is also aiming to push the Nintendo Switch's hardware to its limits. While plans change, it seems likely that the game will launch during the first half of 2022, but nothing has officially been announced yet.

2017's Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is the best-selling game in the franchise so far. Pyra and Mythra from the game were added to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's playable roster earlier this year too. Melia was one of the main characters in Future Connected, a brand-new epilogue in Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition that Monolith Soft head Tetsuya Takahashi had teased was "linked to the future" of the Xenoblade series.