Nintendo buys Xenosaga dev Monolith Soft

by Ross Miller { Apr 27th 2007 at 12:46AM }

Japanese development studio Monolith Soft has been purchased by Nintendo from Namco Bandai, according to a press release (PDF file) from credible Japanese news source Nikkei translated by gaming site The Platformers.

Our team of translators have discerned from the release that Nintendo now owns 80% of the company's stock, while Namco Bandai still retain 16% of their original 96% holdings in the developer, whose total worth is approximately 75 million yen.

The studio, formed in 1999 by former Square employee Hirohide Sugiura, is responsible for the Xenosaga and Baten Kaitos series. The company is also reportedly developing Disaster: Day of Crisis, a Wii title that hasn't been seen since its appearance at E3 2006.

We've contacted Nintendo further details. For the console maker, this gives them an experienced second party RPG developer. We'll keep you updated as this story progresses.

[Thanks for the translation help, Patrick and Andrew]

Tags: bandai, monolith, monolith soft, MonolithSoft, namco, nintendo, xeno gears, xeno saga, XenoGears, XenoSaga

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Defenestrator2.0 @ Apr 27th 2007 12:52AM

Good lord... SOMEBODY GET US A CONSPIRACY THEORY, STAT!

gir @ Apr 27th 2007 1:00AM

Why? Is that hard to believe? And what's good about buying them anyway?

Slaziman @ Apr 27th 2007 1:04AM

Nice, GameCube had little RPG's and I wouldn't like seeing that again, and this is one step towards a more RPG filled Nintendo console.

Raikage @ Apr 27th 2007 1:05AM

Thank you Mr. Miller (has a ring to it...) for explaining which developer this is. On a different post someone commented on this rumor and I thought we were going to see Half-Life 2 and FEAR on the Wii.... LOL JK

Great news for RPG fans and the Japanese market in general.

Monolith Software = Xenosaga, Baten Kaitos, Disaster: Day of Crisis

Monolith (Studios?) = Half-Life, FEAR, Condemed

Fernando Rocker @ Apr 27th 2007 1:06AM

A very good move from Nintendo...

In the holidays of this year, finally we are going to enjoy 100% Wii games... and by then, a lot of developers are going to be developing very exclusives games (with twice the graphics quality of Resident Evil 4, so graphics fans are going to be happies)

My prediction: Next year, very exclusive games, like FPS with excellent controls (starting with Metroid Prime 3), a better online servive, better gameplay in every game, and million of Wii still selling very well, and of course, a lot of third party support.

The Wii is like the PS2 last gen... the PS2 was the most inferior machine in terms of tech specifications, and still was the most selling console.

ViciousVariable @ Apr 27th 2007 1:14AM

Well, with those massive profits from hardware... why not get some software (especially the elusive JRPG, which have been anemic at best on Nintendo hardware as of late) profits as well. Good move, smart move, let's hope Monolith Soft can make games that are less like movies and more like GAMES.

Crazylink @ Apr 27th 2007 1:23AM

This is pretty good news. When was the last time Nintendo bought out another developer?

GaryM @ Apr 27th 2007 1:24AM

If this was MS/Sony buying a developer, the comments would be much less charitable.

Lewis @ Apr 27th 2007 1:25AM

I smell a Xenogears remake.

Ok i dont

but id like one.

WTF is Xenosaga anyway. BS.

NintendoFanbot @ Apr 27th 2007 1:26AM

But but I thought Nintendo hated hardcore gamers and RPG fans. :o

CRAZYLINK:

I think the last one was Retro.

Kelvin @ Apr 27th 2007 1:30AM

Fernando rocker you are very funny, maybe even a little delusional, or overly optimistic but very funny.

WAIT TO YOU HAVE PROOF BEFORE MAKING OUTLANDISH CLAIMS.

I know you said its your "prediction" but you still need to have some proof to make a valid prediction.

"Twice the graphics of RE4"?
Lol, WIi games look INFERIOR to gamecube games at this point in time, certainly no were near xbox. Why don't we take baby steps and try to get first on to xbox graphics before we start saying twice as good, because I have not seen screen shots for a wii game scheduled for 08 that looks twice as good as re4

"Lots of third party support". Really, what third party title are Nintendo fans looking forward too on the wii in 07? 08? 09? at all?
This is a serious question so any info would be great.

"Great Fps control"?
Now this is what makes me laugh. You know what everyone does not like about the PS3? its the idea of buying a console for its "potential" and not what it has too offer right now. Yet Wii fans continue to praise the wii controls for Fps games YET THERE ARE NO GOOD FPS WII GAMES OUT. Why don't you WAIT till MP3 comes out before stating that the control scheme will be good. The wii mote has the POTENTIAL to be good for FPS games but RIGHT NOW its a DISASTER for the genre. Red steel, call of duty 3, far cry vengence?

Back to topic this was a great move by Nintendo, monolith make good games and I know a lot of PS3 fans will be disappointed in the definite loss of Xenosaga. At least the wii is quite affordable.

Fernando Rocker @ Apr 27th 2007 1:38AM

@11 Kelvin

Im glad I make you laugh Kelvin...

"He who laughs last, laughs best"

Shadow Hog @ Apr 27th 2007 1:46AM

"Monolith (Studios?) = Half-Life, FEAR, Condemed"

F.E.A.R. and Condemned, yes. Half-Life? Hell no, that's Valve.

Kelvin @ Apr 27th 2007 1:49AM

Hey Fernando you could be right and I may be wrong.

But right now, I think you are wrong and will be wrong on this one.

samfish @ Apr 27th 2007 1:54AM

"Lol, WIi games look INFERIOR to gamecube games at this point in time, certainly no were near xbox. Why don't we take baby steps and try to get"

Apparently, you haven't seen Sonic on the Wii.

Martez @ Apr 27th 2007 2:05AM

Too bad Baten Kaitos was awful, and Xenosaga lackluster. I can't wait to see what boring, disappointing series they churn out for the Wii and then cut short.

Paleo Pirate @ Apr 27th 2007 2:10AM

Y'know, the truth of the matter here is that this really doesn't matter that much. Monolith delivered three RPGs to Sony, only one of which was particularly noteworthy. The Xeno series has been pretty lame. Xenogears was amazing, but since most of the creative forces behind Xenosaga claim that there's no connection, that seems to be a moot point.

Monolith's truly good series was Baten Kaitos, which was on Nintendo consoles anyway. With the purchase, Nintendo acquires another franchise to milk indefinitely and find a way to make it gimmicky with the motion sensitivity.

As for a Xenogears remake, doesn't Square Enix still hold the rights to Xenogears, since it was developed in-house prior to the creater leaving to form Monolith?

comtar @ Apr 27th 2007 2:17AM

Did you guys know Xenosaga is on the DS in Japan? Look it up on Play-Asia, they put Xenosaga 1 and 2 on one cart.

Ken Seang @ Apr 27th 2007 2:23AM

Is this the same studio that made that mech fps game called Shogun or something like that?

rom @ Apr 27th 2007 2:30AM

Oooo Shogun. Yea I'm pretty sure Shogun was made by Monolith Productions (same people that did F.E.A.R.). I think I still have that game sitting around here somewhere. Good times..Good times.

Darkness @ Apr 27th 2007 2:30AM

Kelvin stated:

"Now this is what makes me laugh. You know what everyone does not like about the PS3? its the idea of buying a console for its "potential" and not what it has too offer right now. Yet Wii fans continue to praise the wii controls for Fps games YET THERE ARE NO GOOD FPS WII GAMES OUT. Why don't you WAIT till MP3 comes out before stating that the control scheme will be good. The wii mote has the POTENTIAL to be good for FPS games but RIGHT NOW its a DISASTER for the genre. Red steel, call of duty 3, far cry vengence?"

That's a matter of opinion. I found Call of Duty 3 and Red Steel pretty good as far as control went. Just because some people seem to have a problem with controlling the games, doesn't mean it's bad. Take SSX Blur for example. It's all relative.

I can't speak for anyone else, but I have a hard time going back to dual analog. I'd much rather have the control method of Red Steel and Call of Duty 3, than the old way. Can developers still perfect it? You bet. That doesn't mean what we have now doesn't work.

GaryM @ Apr 27th 2007 2:47AM

"Is this the same studio that made that mech fps game called Shogun or something like that?"

You're thinking of Shogo, which was made by Monolith Studios, creators of Blood, No One Lives Forever, F.E.A.R., Tron 2.0, etc.

wackychan @ Apr 27th 2007 2:57AM

"That's a matter of opinion. I found Call of Duty 3 and Red Steel pretty good as far as control went."

I would like to know what kind of household product you were huffing when you made that conclusion.

Catprog @ Apr 27th 2007 3:25AM

And what about aiming the arrows,boomerang etc in Zelda?

wackychan @ Apr 27th 2007 3:41AM

24.-"And what about aiming the arrows,boomerang etc in Zelda?"

Your right, that sucked too.

Squeek @ Apr 27th 2007 3:45AM

People seem to forget, but utilizing the pointer is essentially the entire function of an FPS, so there are actually a lot of games that fall into that category.

FPSs: Far Cry, COD3, Red Steel, Elebits
Pointers: Trauma Center

I own Red Steel, Elebits, and Trauma Center. Let me tell you right now that the last two play flawlessly with the pointer. Elebits is an FPS with the whole camera rotation and everything. It did it right. In fact, it was a launch title in Japan, so one could argue that they did it right from the start. And here's the best part: a third party developer did it right.

Kelvin, let's go through in baby steps, just like you said.

First of all, graphics never go down on consoles. This is pretty much an established industry rule. They can stay the same, they can go up a little bit, or they can go up a lot.

Now, define "better graphics". What may have the same output visually as a previous console can be a drastic difference internally. The Wii eats up, what, ~15 watts per hour IN-USE? The competition eats up, what, ~100 watts per hour?

Second, third party support. I'll make this one easy:

"This is a sortable list of the 232 games that have been released or are in development for Nintendo's Wii video game console, referred to by their English titles."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Wii_games

And finally, you say there are no FPSs on the Wii. Let's count. Off the top of my head, the Wii has four. Two are exclusive and two are ports. Off the top of my head, the PS3 has three. One is exclusive, two are ports. And, as pointed out before, some games may not be FPS but still feature elements of FPS games, such as only using an on-screen cursor (Trauma Center), or just using sections of FPS controls in-game (Zelda). Add those up and Wii has 6.

So, wait, a console pretty much based on gory FPS / sports / racing games has FEWER FPS games than a KIDDY console made for BARBIE ADVENTURES and ST00PID MARIO games?

This is unheard of!

Slaziman @ Apr 27th 2007 3:45AM

Aiming sucked in Zelda? Dozens of professional reviewers disagree, you can say what you want about CoD3 and Red Steel, but the aiming in Zelda was spot on. Then again you didn't move while aiming, so it's a different thing.

John H. @ Apr 27th 2007 4:22AM

...th' HELL?

Oooh-kay, this one's from out of left field.

Mory Buckman @ Apr 27th 2007 6:40AM

"For the console maker, this gives them an experienced second party RPG developer."

Actually, if Nintendo owns Monolith that makes them a first-party studio, like Retro Studios.

syco @ Apr 27th 2007 5:28AM

Nintendo, I'd like a cheap compilation disk for the Wii of all the previous xenosaga/gear games. You can pick if it's pointer-based or uses the classic controller, I don't mind. Use multiple disks if you need to.

Dylan @ Apr 27th 2007 6:09AM

There's already a Xenosaga compilation/remake coming on the DS. I hope for a real continuation of the series on the Wii, wasn't there originally meant to be six Xenosaga games but they later decided to end it at the three?

Liraco @ Apr 27th 2007 7:26AM

Actualy Mory, Retro's a second party. 1st party is only directly inside of Nintendo, 2nd parties are owned by Nintendo (like Rare was to Nintendo and now is to MS). Then there's 3rd parties which are either exclusive (Factor 5) or global (Capcom, Konami).

Having the xenosaga games would be cool, but I really do hope they pump out some original titles instead, and this gives me hope for Disaster.

ssuk @ Apr 27th 2007 8:01AM

your translators, bablefish by any chance? =P

acefondu @ Apr 27th 2007 8:23AM

Xenosaga/Gears are the greatest games of all time. Anyone who says they're bad didn't play them, or were too lazy to delve themselves into the involved story. The deep plot and the character development are unmatched in the world of gaming today. This is a bold and wonderful move from the big N. Let's just hope they don't bastardize the greatness of Monolith, like they did with Camelot.

Noshino @ Apr 27th 2007 8:32AM

"Now, define "better graphics". What may have the same output visually as a previous console can be a drastic difference internally. The Wii eats up, what, ~15 watts per hour IN-USE? The competition eats up, what, ~100 watts per hour?"

Ok, its over, Nintendo has become the Apple of the gaming world, whatever they sell will be bought because just like the Apple geeks they wont see the flaws on the system (what the hell are you doing comparing the power consumption of the console?), and also whatever move Nintendo does will be seen as "Innovative" (right Iphone?)

Sigh, to that well known picture of "DS prints money" we will see a new addition "Wii prints money too!"

PS: The latest Sonic game for the Wii had horrendous graphics compared to what any of the other consoles had to offer...

Jack of No Trades @ Apr 27th 2007 8:28AM

I love the smell of a flamewar on Friday morning.

raquor @ Apr 27th 2007 8:42AM

Kelvin: Why don't you WAIT till MP3 comes out before stating that the control scheme will be good.

Um...If I wait until MP3 comes out then I'd have to say the control scheme IS good. I can only say it WILL be good BEFORE it comes out.

Think Harder next time.

Jack of No Trades @ Apr 27th 2007 8:53AM

I bet any of you wiifans that I could beat you on any game with you using the Wiimote and me using either keyboard & mouse or 360 controller.

Also! If the Wii can output 2X graphics of RE4 we will never see it. The Wii isn't suppost to focus on graphics.

I thought graphics didn't matter to you wiifans???????!!!!!! Stop arguing if you dont care. lol

jason @ Apr 27th 2007 9:01AM

This is second shelf news at best. I hope they bought it for the price a single Wii because as of right now this studio is crap. Also I love my Wii buy FPS's suck on it. I play those one my 360. I am excited about MP3 because I think that is when we will so some good controls!

JodyAnthony @ Apr 27th 2007 9:24AM

jack, a flame war any morning smells just as sweet.

Virtua Fanboy @ Apr 27th 2007 9:25AM

I wonder if this is gonna affect Condemed 2. If there ever was such a thing.

dbeech @ Apr 27th 2007 9:37AM

This is quite a shock. But it certainly bodes well for Disaster: Day of Crisis - the game currently being made by Monolith Soft for Wii. Keep in mind that when Nintendo makes a company second-party it usually means they have been impressed by what that company is making for their current console.

Retro were made second party because of Metroid Prime, Silicon Knights were made second-party because of Eternal Darkness (only to screw Nintendo over by only making one game).

sheppy @ Apr 27th 2007 9:37AM

God, it's too early in the morning for a flamewar.

Incidently, XenoGEARS was a chapter of a six part story. Chapter four, as it turns out. XenoSAGA was a reimagining of the six story saga and condensed to three chapters.

Also, before people go applauding Xenosaga I&II on DS, at least look it up first.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jsp0hVhCdpg
Looks fairly generic to me.

Now, having said that, the Wii controls are a Catch 22. Some developers have programmed in looser requirements on the accuracy so what feels like precise controls can actually just be the code compensating. Games that are bashed for shitty controls are very often victims of not having these considerations. So from what I've seen, the accuracy is about as good as the code that assists you.

Also, this has to be said. I'm already tired of seeing overly elaborate controller schemes. The whole point of the console is to pick up and play. Can't tell that from the Dragonball game.

sheppy @ Apr 27th 2007 9:40AM

"Silicon Knights were made second-party because of Eternal Darkness (only to screw Nintendo over by only making one game)."

Oh, you mean Nintendo forcing Silicon Nights to derail Too Human once again to work with Hideo Kojima on a wonderfully cinematic and tragically underwhelming Metal Gear Solid remake? Why does everyone forget about Twin Snakes?

billychaos @ Apr 27th 2007 10:05AM

OMFG!!!! Put Shion in Smash Brosh Brawl!!!

Alex @ Apr 27th 2007 10:38AM

The last part of the article is misleading, Nintendo already has many prominent 2nd party RPG makers; camelot software (Golden Sun), and Game Freak (Pokemon.

The article is great news to Nintendo RPG fans, but Nintendo struggles more with getting Western games than Japanese RPG games, so they should have or should also invest in acquiring a western developer. Or at least let Retro Studios develop their own IPs instead of solely Metroid.

Alex @ Apr 27th 2007 10:50AM

#32 Retro is a first party, it's 100% owned by nintendo therefore a part of them as any other nintendo division across Japan.

#44 is right, Nintendo should stop forcing their divisions and 2nd party developers to make games of the same franchises. I bet right after Disaster, they will force Monolith to make a bunch of sequels and rehashes of the same damn games. No wonder Silicon Knights dumped them

Darkness @ Apr 27th 2007 11:00AM

"I bet any of you wiifans that I could beat you on any game with you using the Wiimote and me using either keyboard & mouse or 360 controller."

You know, Jack, if there was a game where we could do that, I'd take you on. :)

I don't know why people can't understand that just because they had a tough time with the control scheme, doesn't mean that other people didn't. I found the control in Wii FPS games to be much better and easier to deal with. I tried to go back to Halo after playing CoD3 and it was hard to adjust to. I wanted that accuracy back. I'm not saying that there aren't people out there who don't like dual analog, but FOR ME, dual analog just doesn't cut it.

Anyway, back on topic...it would be cool if they got around to re-releasing the original Xenogears. I have the Xenosaga games, and I wouldn't buy the compilation on the Wii. All I want at this point are some new RPGs announced.