Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Update Live, Patch Notes Released

A pair of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 bugs are now fixed on Nintendo Switch.

By Marc Deschamps

A new update is now live for Xenoblade Chronicles 3, bringing the Nintendo Switch game up to version 2.1.1. This one is a fairly minor update, merely fixing a couple of the game's bugs. Most notably, there was an issue that impacted players that did not purchase the game's Expansion Pass. The second of these bug fixes relates to Staying Power's Art Follow-Up. Nintendo has now rectified both of these issues, so players can enjoy the game without further issues. Full patch notes from Nintendo's official website can be found below:

Ver. 2.1.1 (Released September 12, 2023)

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed an issue where not having the Expansion Pass would cause the Special Hero BGM, Audio environment in Audio Setting, as well as Notifications to not display.
  • Fixed an issue with Staying Power's Art Follow-Up, where activating Fusion Arts would cause the Follow-Up Attack damage to be dealt to the character using Fusion Arts and allies.

Xenoblade Chronicles 4

Now that the Expansion Pass has been out for a bit for Xenoblade Chronicles 3, it's unlikely we'll see much in the way of further updates. Of course, fans are likely curious about what the future holds for the series! Monolith Soft is owned by Nintendo, and neither company has announced what's next for the Xenoblade developer. The studio has predominantly worked on the Xenoblade series for more than a decade now, while also providing a support role on Nintendo games such as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. 

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It could be a while before we learn what's next for Monolith Soft, but Xenoblade series creator Tetsuya Takahashi recently hinted at plans for the next game in the series. The Xenoblade Chronicles 3 soundtrack contained a message from Takahashi, in which the director indicated that, if there is another game in the series, he hopes to make something quite different from what players have seen so far. Unfortunately, that doesn't give fans much to go on, but it is intriguing!

The Xeno Series

It's possible that Xenoblade Chronicles 3 could be the final game in the series, and that Takahashi might instead create something new as part of the Xeno series. While Xenoblade Chronicles has been exclusive to Nintendo platforms, the games fall under a wider "Xeno" umbrella that started with Xenogears all the way back in 1998. That game is owned by Square Enix, while Xenosaga is owned by Bandai Namco. It's possible Takahashi and Monolith Soft could start anew with a different "Xeno" branded series, but there's simply no way of knowing for sure. Given the franchise's rise in popularity during the Switch era, it would seem unlikely that Nintendo would abandon a recognizable name like Xenoblade Chronicles, but if they truly do want to go in a different direction, it's definitely a possibility.

Are you happy about these bug fixes for Xenoblade Chronicles 3? Do you want to see a fourth Xenoblade game? Let us know in the comments or share directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

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