Monolith Soft reflects on the past and future

Earlier this year, Xenoblade developer Monolith Soft published its Company Brochure 2024. It includes interviews with key members of the company who talked about the past and future. It’s a good time for reflection given how Monolith Soft turns 25 this year.

Hirohide Sugiura, one of the founders of Monolith Soft, shared some of the more interesting comments. Sugiura feels that the company is still in its “genesis” stage and hopes the company can keep going far into the future – maybe even 500 years.

He said:

“These 25 years seemed long but felt short. Looking back, I have built up so many memories that it’s hard to pick ones out. There have been many twists and turns, but every time a problem comes up we have faced it head-on, and enduring them has led to what we are now.

The amount of staff we have has risen dramatically compared to when we were founded in 1999, and we now have three development studios, and have had a hand in many huge games. However, I do not believe we’ve had enough of the satisfaction that comes from success and achievement. This is definitely something Monolith Soft will pursue for as long as it exists, and perhaps may never be obtainable.

If Monolith Soft were to continue existing, then we are still currently in the ‘genesis’ stage. I hope our company’s history can keep going for 100, 200, or even 500 years.”

Lastly, when asked about future goals, Sugiura had this to say:

“Instead of being satisfied with the status quo, we keep aiming for higher quality.

As I mentioned before, as long as Monolith Soft exists, our drive to never be satisfied with the status quo and aim for higher quality will never change.

To that end, we are thinking about increasing efforts to lay the groundwork for an environment where new leaders can be born.

Also, we want to keep being a company that makes customers happy. For example, beyond the framework of just video games, we want to become a charismatic company, such as by expanding further into the realm of customer service.”

Monolith Soft has been a key company for Nintendo over the years. Aside from its work on Xenoblade, it also contributed to games such as Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, the Splatoon series, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and more.

Translation provided by SatsumaFS, Simon Griffin, and Philip Proctor on behalf of Nintendo Everything.