inb4 "read that as MicroSoft"
Following the unprecedented increase in sales numbers, esteemed developer Monolith Soft opens up yet another studio, marking the fifth institution under their ever-growing belt. Even since before the release of the original Xenoblade, Monolith has been helping out on various projects with Nintendo--up to and not excluding Breath of the Wild--alongside their flagship franchise. Other projects include: Baten Kaitos, Soma Bringer, Disaster: Day of Crisis, Skyward Sword, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Pikmin 3, A Link Between Worlds, Splatoon [1/2], Brawl, and Project X Zone [1/2]. Only recently, they posted high-level job openings intended for production on the followup to Breath of the Wild, suggesting that their collaboration is much deeper this time around with the main Zelda team.
Due to the combination of Smash and Torna: The Golden Country, the studio's opening is likely a mere side effect of the swelling profit margins. Namely, a 99% increase of the year-to-year spill-over from the end of last March to this one.
It's anyone's guess what the company has on their docket next, but the most recent news strongly hints that development of a new Xenoblade title is underway and of course their undisclosed action-RPG IP is also in the works. Whatever the case, this grossly underrated developer is sure to push the hardware to its limits (although XC2 had a rough launch, it's a million times better thanks to free updates) and release one quality product at a time. Any studio that actively discourages crunch and seeks out younger talent, all while providing voluntary overtime, is worthy of respect, especially when up against a market that pushes deadlines and drives all creative efforts into the brink of burnout.
Seriously, good on them and well-deserved.
