We have another source hinting at Xenoblade Chronicles X being ported and ready to release on the Nintendo Switch.
The idea of Xenoblade Chronicles X being ported to Switch dates back to 2018. In an interview with USGamer, Xenoblade Chronicles franchise director Tetsuya Takahashi revealed that he wanted to port Xenoblade Chronicles X from the Wii U to the Nintendo Switch. However, he also explained that it would be prohibitively difficult, mainly because of the cost of recreating such a massive game.
While the Xenoblade Chronicles franchise has received massive critical and commercial success on the Nintendo Switch, Xenoblade Chronicles X has continued to stand as an ambitious detour from the mainline games. Not only does it exist in a different continuity, it also offers a more ambitious open world design, with the scale of mech piloting raising the stakes of that ambition.
There has also always been a huge case to port Xenoblade Chronicles X and give it a second chance, because that ambition was constrained by the technical limits of the Wii U. But Nintendo and Monolith Soft has yet to ever confirm or reveal that they would make this Switch port.
Last January, Zippo claimed that Xenoblade Chronicles X, but he claimed that it was in development for Nintendo’s next system after the Switch. And then this June, a Spanish language YouTuber named YoleocomicsDC And Games claimed that the game should have been announced that month.
At this point, we have to reintroduce you to Ryan from the Bronx, FKA Midori, FKA MysticDistance. He seems to go by his real first name now, and he has also disclosed that he is an independent security researcher and freelance content translator.
Ryan addressed his prior controversies in a lengthy thread here, and has even come forward with some of the methods he uses to find his rumors. While we cannot 100 % vouch for his veracity, his track record is good enough that we cannot ignore his claims.
About a week ago, Ryan posted this on Twitter:
“Xenoblade Chronicles X port for Switch will be released next year.
they’re not skipping to Xenoblade 4. this port was also made with Switch 1 hardware in mind but will also be compatible with Switch 2.”
In this case, Ryan’s claim corroborates earlier rumors about this port, and it does tell a credible story. It’s possible that Monolith Soft and Nintendo have quietly been working on this port in the past six years. It also sounds credible that Nintendo delayed releasing this game. We know they have had to plan out a game release schedule to keep fans engaged on the Switch in the lead up to the announcement and release of its successor.
Nintendo is at an interesting point. Within this year, they have released remasters or new games in their lesser known franchises, including Another Code, Endless Ocean, and Famicom Detective Club. These are calculated risks, as they hope these games find a new audience, but it won’t hurt their finances if they flop.
Subsequently the risk of porting an expensive game like Xenoblade Chronicles X may be offset by Nintendo’s 2024 cash rich reserves. They can also justify it with their need to line up more games for the Switch.
While we haven’t seen other sources like Brazil corroborate this rumor, Ryan AKA Midori AKA MysticDistance has a reputation for reliability in the past. If Ryan wants to share where he got the proof for his claim, more people may be compelled to take the rumor seriously. But perhaps we won’t have to wait that long for Nintendo to announce this port anyway.
