Sun, Feb 10, 2013 | 21:56 GMT

Monolith Soft happy to be closer to Nintendo

Xenoblade Chronicles developer Monolith Soft is learning a lot from Nintendo since opening an office in the Big N’s home town of Kyoto.

In an internal interview translated by Siliconera, Monolith Soft staff said that since the Kyoto branch was opened, the two companies meet together far more frequently. Nintendo acts as a consultant on Monolith Soft’s work, offering feedback.

Nintendo’s emphasis on teamwork, as well at its internal communication and sense of “companionship”, has inspired Monolith Soft to emulate it. One example is including programmers in design discussions, so every team member is contributing their ideas to the overall product, not just their technical skills.

Monolith Soft is now “livlier than ever”, apparently thanks to its emulation of Nintendo’s team-focussed structure, and staff who transferred from Tokyo are apparently happy in their new digs as a result.

Monolith Soft has a new RPG in the works for Wii U, titled or codenamed X, and may be working on something for 3DS as well; it’s certainly recruiting for its Kyoto office.

Thanks, NintendoLife.