Hold Your Horses: Xenoblade No Longer Coming to the US – Continue to Bitch About It

Sometimes sites jump the gun on information. We’ve done it before, and while we try not to do it so often, it’s easy to fall into a trap when a reputable site throws information at us. Destructoid is one of my favorite sources for news, particularly because of their style. However, they jumped the gun and understandably so. Everyone but Nintendo of America wants Xenoblade to come out, so any news suggesting as much makes us all get giddy.

Turns out, while it was a nice generic response, it doesn’t really confirm the game is coming out at all in the US. There are some nice theories floating around. In discussing matters with Nintendo representatives, they did seem to make it sound like an HD release on the Wii U was possible, or at least an idea that had been thrown around. However, Nintendo of America stonewalled Nintendo of Europe hardcore at E3, simply saying they will not show off Xenoblade because they have no intention on releasing the title.

This isn’t news to us per say: This little bit is why Operation Rainfall exists, or at least, one of the reasons. No, the customer service rep who said the game is slated to come out didn’t lie. While the game is not in any fashion planned to release in the US as of today, it is still on their official “upcoming” game list. Why hasn’t it been removed if they never plan to release it?

As I said, the idea of an HD version may not be out of the question, but at this juncture I think it’s safe to assume that Nintendo is just sticking to their casual business model. They would rather focus their marketing on games for casuals who only buy one or two games a year rather than the core. They may be “so” dilluted in their thoughts that the Wii lost the hardcore gamer that they actually feel they lost most of their core as well.

Seems like a silly notion, but these are based on impressions talking to a Nintendo representative. So, sorry to burst the bubble we helped build up, but Xenoblade is not in any fashion coming out in the US. Continue the petitions and Reggie emails.

To contact Reggie directly, you can send him a written letter to:

Reginald Fils-Aime

Keep in mind of course that his mail is screened, but naturally enough email about a particular topic would warrant him not to ignore it forever. There is no direct email address publicly available, however you can address him specifically here.

Source: NintendoWorldReport