Bandai Namco Briefly Thought About Remastering the Xenosaga
According to Bandai Namco’s Katsuhiro Harada via his Twitter account, the company briefly considered remastering the original Xenosaga but found it wouldn’t be profitable after market analysis. Before Xenoblade Chronicles, there was Xenosaga which was similarly a story-driven RPG series also developed by Monolith Soft back in the day. The series was originally planned as a six episode story but it was eventually turned into a trilogy that received mixed reviews upon release. Although Xenoblade Chronicles has done well in western markets and overseas, Bandai Namco still doesn’t see the predecessor titles as viable remaster material. In the meantime, Xenoblade Chronicles will get a definitive re-release sometimes in 2020 for the Nintendo Switch.
Katsuhiro Harada replied to a fan inquiry on Twitter about Xenosaga receiving attention in the future, specifically regarding an HD collection of the titles. Harada said, “this actually progressed to the remaster’s plan, but failed in a profitable market analysis. Sorry guys, This plan will be difficult to resurface…” It’s very telling to us that the titles progressed to the remaster stage but it is disheartening to hear that it failed to be profitable in market analysis. These numbers are likely based on sales of related titles such as Xenoblade Chronicles mixed with the original Xenosaga sales. We hope the remaster of the original Xenoblade Chronicles inspires Bandai Namco to “resurface” the series again in the future.
Xenoblade Chronicles almost never left Japan but has received a cult following in the western market since releasing there. Xenoblade Chronicles 2, for example, has sold over 1.7 million copies which likely sparked the remaster of the original title from the Wii to the Nintendo Switch. The Xenoblade titles share a lot in common with Xenosaga and Xenogears and even have tons of references and nods to the originals for long-time fans who are familiar with both so it’s kind of sad that Bandai Namco won’t be revisiting the originals any time soon.
Are you bummed we won’t be seeing a Xenosaga remaster? Are you looking forward to the remaster of the original Xenoblade Chronicles? Let us know in the comments below!
Source: Gaming Bolt