A clip from the developers behind Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has raised eyebrows among fans, as hope grows for a Switch 2 update.
While Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza are currently the driving reason to buy the Switch 2, an underrated selling point are the updates to original Switch titles.
These have come in two different forms so far: free updates which automatically run when playing titles like Pokémon Scarlet and Violet on the system, and paid Switch 2 editions with more substantial updates and new features.
While a sizeable amount of original Switch games have already received updates, there are still a number of titles yet to be graced with the Switch 2’s upgraded touch – including the first sequel to Xenoblade Chronicles.
A post from developer Monolith Soft has stoked the game’s fans into believing a Switch 2 update could be around the corner, although it’s not clear exactly how far it goes.
In a post on X, the studio shared a job advertisement for an Effects Designer with a clip from Xenoblade Chronicles 2. While the clip seems fairly innocuous at first glance, many have noted how the lighting in the footage has been upgraded when compared to the original game.
‘You can clearly see a difference in the game’s lighting,’ one fan wrote on X, who shared a side-by-side comparison.
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While it’s possible Monolith Soft cleaned up the footage for the job listing there seems no obvious reason why they’d do that, although unlike the other entries in the series Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has had no major updates or remasters.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 received some Switch 2 improvements when the console launched, while a definitive edition of the original game came out in 2020 for the Switch. Xenoblade Chronicles 2, which launched on the original Switch in 2017, has been relatively ignored since, so some sort of update feels overdue.
It feels somewhat logical too, following the expanded Switch port of Xenoblade Chronicles X, a spin-off which originally came out on the Wii U in 2015. While Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is already on the Switch, there’s no *definitive edition* which includes the story expansion Torna – The Golden Country, so a Switch 2 edition could be the perfect time to throw it all together.
Of course, there’s every chance any potential update will simply be a minor patch with improved visuals – but there’s no harm in dreaming.
The director behind Xenoblade Chronicles has previously said the next game in the series will be ‘vastly different’ to its predecessors, in a bid to ‘betray everyone’s expectations’. However, it’s unclear how far along a new entry might be..
There’s a chance we could hear something Xenoblade-related at the next Nintendo Direct, which is rumoured to be taking place in September.
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