Wii U

After putting in a lot of time creating this game, you've finally made it to the end.

Yes! Thank you for your patience.

It's quite understandable that there is such high anticipation for this game, especially after you've accomplished quite a bit in the last game Xenoblade Chronicles¹. So I'm assuming that you've challenged yourselves with the limited time and budget to create something that players will be satisfied with. 1. Xenoblade Chronicles: An RPG game released for the Wii console in June 2010 in Japan (2012 in North America). This game was also released as Xenoblade Chronicles 3D exclusively for the New Nintendo 3DS systems in April 2015.

That's correct.

For the previous game, you mentioned that you had to burn bridges² to develop it. This time, I would like to ask you what your priorities were in developing Xenoblade Chronicles X³, and how you've created the condensed, deep, and rich world of the game. 2. Burning bridges: This conversation was detailed in Iwata Asks: Xenoblade Chronicles 3D. Tetsuya Takahashi described their development process for Xenoblade Chronicles as "burning bridges."

3. Xenoblade Chronicles X: Monolith Software, Inc.'s newest RPG for Wii U. Planned for release April 29, 2015 in Japan.

Ok.

Before we begin, I would like to ask all of you to introduce yourselves.

I'm Tetsuya Takahashi from Monolith Soft⁴, the general director of Xenoblade Chronicles X. 4. Monolith Software, Inc.: A video game development studio founded in 1999. Developed games such as the Xenosaga series, Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean (Nintendo GameCube), Disaster: Day of Crisis (released in Japan and EU for Nintendo Wii), and Soma Bringer (released in Japan for Nintendo DS). Their headquarters is located in Tokyo, Meguro-ku.

I'm Yuichiro Takeda⁵, a scriptwriter. I also worked on the script for the previous Xenoblade game. 5. Yuichiro Takeda: A scriptwriter for various animated series such as The King of Braves GaoGaiGar series, F-ZERO: GP Legend, and SD Gundam Force. He's also worked on scripts for games such as Xenoblade Chronicles X's predecessor, Xenoblade Chronicles (Nintendo Wii, New Nintendo 3DS XL) and Xenosaga I & II (Nintendo DS). He previously made an appearance in Iwata Asks: Xenoblade Chronicles Volume 2: Story.

Hello, this will be my first time participating in Iwata Asks. I'm Kazuho Hyodo⁶, and I worked on the script. 6. Kazuho Hyodo: A scriptwriter who has worked on various animated series such as Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny, Mobile Suit Gundam AGE, Unlimited Psychic Squad, and Robot Girls Z. He's also worked on scripts for animated adaptions of Japanese light novel series such as Nayruko: Crawling with Love! and The Pilot's Love Song.

Hyodo-san, did you know Takeda-san before working on this project?

Yes, I've known him for quite some time. Takeda-san invited me to this project, so I helped out with the script.

So Takeda-san reeled you into this project (laughs).

That's right (laughs).

I'm Koh Kojima, the director for this game on the Monolith Soft side.

Hasn't it been around five years since our last interview⁷? 7. Five years since our last interview: In addition to Xenoblade Chronicles X, Koh Kojima directed the previous game, Xenoblade Chronicles. This is his first appearance in Iwata Asks since Iwata Asks: Xenoblade Chronicles Volume 3: The Development Process, which was posted in May 2010.

Yes, it has.

I'm Genki Yokota from the Software Planning and Development group. I worked as the director from Nintendo.

When the first Xenoblade game was released, it was well received as a modern-day JRPG⁸ that really stood out among its peers. Even though the reach of the game left more to be desired, Xenoblade Chronicles was regarded as a game worthy of recognition. This last game really raised the bar for the next release for this series, so I assume you've tackled a great challenge of creating a game that meets expectations. 8. JRPG: A role-playing game created in Japan. They often have a command-based fighting style.

That's true.

To begin, what was the first thing you decided on when creating Xenoblade Chronicles X?

Well, I've always believed that the setting is important in RPGs.

So even in the last game, Xenoblade Chronicles, you first decided to create the setting of the Bionis and Mechonis fields⁹ before developing the game. 9. Bionis and Mechonis fields: The setting of the previous game, Xenoblade Chronicles. Before the start of the story, these two massive titans fought a tremendous battle and their remains became a vast field. For more information about Xenoblade Chronicles, visit Iwata Asks: Xenoblade Chronicles Volume 2: Story.

That's right. To be honest, we actually wanted to connect the Bionis and Mechonis so it was one field.

They felt connected when I played the game, but they actually weren't?

They weren't. We worked on how the maps linked up so it feels like they're connected. This time, though, we all felt that we wanted to step it up, so that's where we started off. From there, the first thing we decided on was creating an environment where players can play in a completely open world¹⁰, so that became our first pillar for this project. 10. Open world: A concept for video games where players can roam freely through a vast virtual world and are given considerable freedom to explore and approach objectives.

So this time, the game really takes place in a completely open world.

Yes.

Just from looking at the footage, the field seems to be quite vast! (laughs)

Yes, it's quite huge! (laughs) Well, when we started this project, we discussed creating a whole planet for this game.

A whole planet...? No wonder it took so long! (laughs)

I agree, it's quite large! (laughs) In the end, we created a field that can be developed on a realistic scale by creating five continents around 400km².

Once the first pillar of the game, to create an open-world setting, was decided, it was the job of the director, Kojima-san, to make it happen, correct?

Right.

First off, what is the difference between creating an open-world game compared to creating an RPG game that isn't?

There are many more things that need to be created in an open-world game.

Players can roam freely in an open-world setting, which means you need to place various things in a variety of places on the vast field.

That's right. When creating a general RPG, resources like time and memory are limited, therefore it is normal to put in a lot of effort into a setting that the player is focused on...or to put it a bit negatively, guided to.

So, putting it a bit negatively...by guiding players to specific areas that had a lot of effort put into them, it makes the world of the game feel very condensed.

Yes. But this time, we simply created a whole world. When we developed Xenoblade Chronicles, we actually wanted to make it so players could go to any location displayed on the screen, but unfortunately, there were places that were impossible to get to.

So there were places in the game shown on the screen where players couldn't reach, even if they were curious about what was in the distance?

Yes, but this will not be a problem in Xenoblade Chronicles X.

Does this mean that players can go to any location shown on the screen?

That's correct. We didn't want to disappoint players with something simple when they put in the effort to go to hard-to-reach locations, so there is a lot of content hidden in various locations.

To put it simply, you've created places worth exploring all over this world?

That's right. We put real effort into creating these places, so I believe the players will enjoy exploring this world. As creators, though, there were a lot of hurdles we had to overcome while creating it.

A heaven for players, but a hell for creators?

Yes, just as you described it.

Also, when the player needs to go from point A to point B to progress the story, for example, however hard we may try to create something really worthwhile to be explored between these two points, it would be meaningless if the player could not realize that something might be there in that part of the world.

It would be quite disappointing if players completely ignored a part of the world that took a lot of pain and effort to create.

Exactly. However, we knew this issue couldn't be ignored when we decided to create an open-world game. So, the first idea we thought of was including pioneering features between point A and point B. From there, players can gain information and resources.

Well, the setting does take place on a mysterious planet, so the pioneering element makes a lot of sense.

Yes. So by adding the pioneering aspect, we thought it would naturally encourage players to explore their surroundings while they're on their way to their destination at point B.

This all makes sense, but was solving these challenges as simple as you've explained it?

Well, the discussion about these challenges was sparked by a simple question. One day, Kojima-san asked us what we should do with the larger areas.

It's harder for players to figure out where they need to go in an open-world field, so I asked how we should approach it.

So I suggested dividing the area up into hexagon-shaped fields.

That's right.

The hexagon-shaped areas that look like honeycombs are called segments¹¹ in the game. I discussed with Kojima-san that by having players access many things in the segments, it would be easier for them to figure out where they need to go. I think this conversation was the catalyst for solving the challenge of large fields. 11. Segment: In Xenoblade Chronicles X, the fields are divided up into hexagon-shaped sections called segments, which are displayed on the Wii U GamePad controller screen. From an icon displayed in each segment, players can determine their missions. By completing these missions, players can further explore the vast game world.

People naturally like to fill in the blanks, so this is a very logical design.

I agree.

So are you saying that responding reflexively and logically to Kojima-san's question opened up your path for production?

I believe so. From there, we put together various features in these segments such as quests, and shaped what the game turned out to be.

You've simply summed the process up with "put together," but it must've been quite a task from Kojima-san's standpoint as a creator.

Yes, it took a lot of work! (laughs)

Just by watching the footage released for Xenoblade Chronicles X, I was overwhelmed and surprised at the denseness and richness of the game. How did your staff manage to work through to the very end?

Quite simply, each staff member's willpower.

Ah...

We all made it through without giving up or falling out. That is all.

So that richness was created by the staff's motivation and willpower.

Right. We're a group created by motivation and willpower. Large parts of the staff at Monolith Soft are the kind of people who are determined to pull through once something is decided. They are all so faithful to their duties that cutting corners wasn't an option.

So they really dislike slacking or half-hearted work.

The majority of the staff has a strong belief that once something is determined or started, it should be completed to its fullest potential.

Wow, I thought you devised something to take an easier path, but you all just marched straight forward to your ideal. If that much passion went into creating this game, I'm sure players will feel something call out to them, even in places where they can't directly see it.

I agree. I believe the players will feel it when they play the game.