Xenosaga is the sprawling epic by Tetsuya Takahashi from 2002 until 2006. One could say that it was ahead of its time. Featuring numerous cutscenes and a stellar battle system (all three games), these titles were the first part of an epic that was set to last six games. Unfortunately, these games were cut short. Sales simply weren’t there to justify another title. In a time where we’ve seen so many titles revived, one has to ask themselves: can Xenosagas be revived as well?
Xenoblade Sales
With the Xenoblade series reaching over one million in sales, the Xeno brand is bigger than ever. It would be the perfect time to do one of two things: do an HD re-master of Xenosaga 1 – 3, or continue the series with Xenosaga Episode IV. While the former seems unlikely, Xenosaga Episode IV essentially resets the series so to speak. The only characters who were meant to appear in all six games were KOS-MOS and chaos, so, it would be perfect to re-introduce players into a brand new world. Xenosaga Episode 3: Also Sprach Zarathustra’s ending allows the development team to start completely fresh. All the Xenoblade games have had relatively good sales, but Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is the icing on the cake.
Takahashi is Willing to Return to the Series
Tetsuya Takahashi said himself during an interview that he would be willing to return to the series. His wife posted a translation of a snippet in English on Twitter.
Gamekult: Would you like to complete Xenosaga hexalogy if circumstances allow?
Takahashi: Of course, if anyone would like to invest in it. pic.twitter.com/qIRhtcdKl6
— 嵯峨空哉 Soraya Saga (@sorayasaga) June 24, 2017
By “anyone”, Takahashi is probably referring to Bandi Namco, who owns the rights to the series. And here’s where things get complicated. As Monolith Soft is a subsidiary of Nintendo, all of the right pieces need to fall into play in order for Episode IV to be made. Namco would need to be involved in some fashion, or be paid in order to use the IP.
This has seemingly become more and more likely though. KOS-MOS appears as a Blade is Xenosaga 2, and she appeared in Project X Zone 1 & 2. Namco Bandai has seen fit to offer one of their signature mascots to Nintendo, so why not the next step if they have a financial stake in a future Xenosaga game alongside Nintendo? They did work with them in Super Smash Bros. 4 and they are rumored to be developing Metroid Prime 4. Lending Nintendo Xenosaga doesn’t seem so out of the question putting these facts into perspective.
Fans Want It
Xenosaga has quite a dedicated fanbase. They want something Xenosaga – related. Xenosaga Episode IV may just be the answer. It could also pave way for a Xenosaga HD collection if successful. Tetsuya Takahashi is open to returning to the franchise. Namco Bandai has been collaborating with Nintendo on various projects for years. KOS-MOS even appeared in Monolith’s latest hit, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, which has some link to the Xenosaga series itself. this is not such a far-fetched idea, and, could easily happen if Namco Bandai is willing to invest in the idea, which would make financial sense for all parties involved. The Nintendo Switch is killing it with sales. It would be a mistake not to invest in such an idea.
Resurrecting the Xenosaga series, which would start from scratch and easily be able to bring in new players after the ending of the previous installment, would work quite nicely.