Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a "stopping point" for the series, but not the end

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 represents a "a stopping point" for the series, but it won't be the last game in the series.

In an email sent out to folks who bought the game in Japan (via MyNintendoNews), Xenoblade Chronicles 3 senior director Tetsuya Takahashi agreed emphatically with suggestions that the latest installment is the "culmination" of the series, which began in 2010 with Xenoblade Chronicles on the Wii. "We at Monolith have put everything we have cultivated over the past twelve years into it," Takahashi said.

He went on to confirm, once again, that there will be more games in the Xenoblade series, but he also makes it clear that the third game marks the end of a chapter for the series.

"It is also a stopping point to me. This title depicts the conclusion of the Xenoblade story that began with Klaus’s experiment," said Takahashi.

Somewhat curiously, Takahashi suggests that Xenoblade Chronicles 3's four expansions, one of which is available now, will tease the future of the series.

"While it is a conclusion, that does not mean it is the end of the Xenoblade series. It is just a stopping point in my mind. I think that everyone who played this title and the additional stories in the Expansion Pass can imagine what lies in the future for Xenoblade."

The second wave of DLC is due out by December 31, the third is scheduled for sometime before April 30, 2023, and the fourth and final should launch by December 31, 2023.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 just came out, but it's already looking like a worthy candidate for our list of the best Switch games.