Players believe that news of a Xenoblade 2 Nintendo Switch 2 edition may have accidentally been leaked online. A new job listing from Monolith Soft features footage that doesn’t look to be from the original game. Are fans just reaching, or are we getting an improved version of XC2 soon?
Did XC2 Switch 2 Edition footage get leaked?
Fans of the Xenoblade Chronicles franchise were sent into a frenzy when Monolith Soft posted an August 24 job listing on X. If you are thinking: so what? I totally get it. I don’t really put much stock in job listings anymore.
But what makes this interesting is that the recruitment post also features seemingly new footage of Xenoblade 2. Specifically, it looks like the cutscene is different from the original game.
According to eagle-eyed players, the cutscene has different lighting and colors from the original Xenoblade 2 release on Switch. I’m by no means an expert on technical gaming analysis, but at least to my eyes, the clip does in fact look different. Specifically, it seems to have brighter colors and slightly higher details.
But then again, it’s hard to say how much of this is due to how X compresses videos. Regardless, XC2 fans quickly jumped at the differences in the game’s lighting and made posts comparing the two versions.
The side-by-side clips had many convinced that the job listing featured footage from a Xenoblade 2 Switch 2 edition. Although it goes without saying, this is speculation at this point. For all we know, this could just be in-game weather effects impacting the lighting.
Or it could just be old footage Monolith has touched up for their recruitment post. If it ends up being true, it would certainly be one of the more out-there ways that a game has been leaked.
Would We Get a Xenoblade 2 Remake on Switch 2?
A debate that was sparked over the video is whether we would get a Xenoblade 2 remake on Switch 2 or just an upgrade. If you think the idea is absurd, let’s not forget that Xenoblade Chronicles got multiple remakes in a short period. For example, we got Xenoblade Chronicles 3D in 2010 and Definitive Edition on Switch 1 in 2020.
That said, I think if we are getting anything, it would likely be an XC2 Switch 2 upgrade. I have nothing to back this up besides a hunch. However, I feel like Xenoblade 2 and XC3 both still hold up as modern games. In fact, the only thing holding them back on Switch 2 is their resolution being forced at 520p and them being capped at 30 FPS.
These are performance issues that can be fixed with a quick update.
Regardless of what we end up getting, the new Monolith Soft recruitment video has given players hope that we might get something soon. Although, as a lifelong Nintendo fan, I should caution anyone from getting too excited.
If we just look back to previous generations, the publisher can drag their feet on releasing things that seem “obvious” on the surface. Zelda Wind Waker HD, I’m looking at you. So until proven otherwise, I fully expect Switch 2 upgrade patches to come out extremely slowly.
The post A Xenoblade 2 Edition for Switch 2 May Have Just Been Leaked appeared first on VICE.
