In addition to the reveal of Nintendo Switch 2 editions and updates for Xenoblade Chronicles 1, 2, and 3, Xenoblade lovers are hopefully having a very nice day today thanks to the announcement of a new Xenoblade game. It’s called Xenoblade Genesis, and it looks like it will mark a “new beginning” for the Xenoblade franchise.
Xenoblade Genesis looks to be a clean break, of sorts, from the previous three Xenoblade Chronicles games. There are certainly common themes, such as the massive open world with a lot of emphasis on scale. But unlike prior games, this one seems to center an academy called Leukos, where the main character (pink-haired lady, unknown name) is enrolled as a student. The protagonist is a Vesselai, a person who can wield the Anima powers of water, fire, and wind that give shape to the world. She also wields a Crystone in her sword, which both amplifies her Anima and also records her thoughts an actions—it’s apparently a centerpiece of sorts to your life at Leukos.
We get a look at a number of the characters that will join the protagonist…or fight her, as the case may be, and see some other aspects of the world’s mythology: dragons, for instance, and six suns. There’s a gorgeous final shot of the two main characters galloping across a big open field with a huge blue sky above them (classic Xenoblade) which seems to reveal that the world is not just huge horizontally, but vertically as well.
Xenoblade Genesis is launching sometime in 2027. In the meantime, though, we’re also getting Nintendo Switch 2 editions of Xenoblade 1, 2, and 3. All three games run at 60fps with 4K in TV mode or full HD in handheld, and have improved visuals during in-game cutscenes. Each game is also getting some new content: Xenoblade 1 is getting high-speed overworld vehicles, and the other two games are getting new battle modes and quests. Xenoblade Chronicles’ upgraded digital edition will be out today, with its physical version out on July 30. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 will be out on Switch 2 digitally on July 30, but physically on October 1, and Xenoblade Chronicles 3 will see both digital and physical versions on December 3. It’s…a bit confusing, but at least everything will be out by the end of the year.