Xenoblade Chronicles has become incredibly popular since the days of that first niche release we almost didn’t get in North America . These three games are now beloved by JRPG fans…

What, you say there’s four games? Ah yes, because Torna ~ the Golden Country was sold as a standalone release, right?

That’s sadly how it feels sometimes; while the main Xenoblade trilogy has soared in popularity, Xenoblade Chronicles X remains the odd game out, overshadowed by the other three and sometimes even forgotten entirely.

Today is the 9th anniversary of Xenoblade Chronicles X’s release. It came out on April 29, 2015 in Japan and would follow in other regions in December.

Although I had my doubts about it ahead of launch, I ended up loving it despite it being a fully open world game with a lessened emphasis on story. The worldbuilding, humor, characters, and exploration were that good.

Look how optimistic I was back when I wrote that review, ending with the hope that we would see Xenoblade Chronicles X 2 at E3 2016. Here we are 9 years later, and not only do we not have a sequel, but we got two other Xenoblade games and a remaster in the meantime.

Since Xenoblade Chronicles X is still stranded on the Wii U, far fewer people have played it than the others. That’s why it’s overlooked so often. Because of that, the farther we’ve gotten from it, the more I’ve hoped for a port or remaster to be announced. I want a Xenoblade Chronicles X sequel, and I think our best chance of getting that is if X is ported first and reaches a bigger audience.

With how many Wii U games made the jump to the Switch and how popular Xenoblade has become, it’s kind of shocking that Xenoblade Chronicles X is one of the few that’s still a Wii U exclusive.

Back in 2018, director Tetsuya Takahashi said in an interview that bringing X to the Switch would be “really difficult.” He said it was a money issue, because of how massive X is.

In the time since that 2018 interview, the Xenoblade series has become more popular than ever. Now we’re getting near the end of the Switch’s life, and rumors of its successor are on the horizon. Few things would make me happier than if Xenoblade Chronicles X was one of the first titles announced (hopefully to pave the way for a Xenoblade Chronicles X 2). Here’s hoping the series’ success on the switch is enough to make it worth the effort to port Xenoblade Chronicles X and give it a second chance to shine!