Nintendo has been dominating the headlines regarding upcoming titles for the past few days, though in almost every case this has been unintentional. Leaks regarding a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the delay of the next main 3D Super Mario instalment until next year, and the return of Star Fox after a 20-year hiatus are still fresh in the memory, but now comes something less sensational, albeit official.
We're talking about the company's registration of two new patents with the relevant US authority. The first details new adapters for the Joy-Con 2 that would make it easier to use each controller as an independent unit.
The second patent, far more interesting to us, reveals a new processing mechanism for a combat system within a game. Something that, at first glance, shouldn't set off anyone's alarm bells, but certainly does given the image Nintendo uses to illustrate how the system would work. As you can see in the diagram, the HUD used displays various action options at the bottom of the screen, with four characters surrounding a larger one. A presentation that bears a striking resemblance to Monolith Soft's games in the Xenoblade Chronicles franchise.
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Without wishing to speculate on whether this new patent will be applied to a future game in the series (unconfirmed by Nintendo), the truth is that we do not know exactly what Monolith Soft is currently working on, having previously collaborated internally on the development of other first-party titles for the company, such as Donkey Kong Bananza.
Do you think this could be a clue about Xenoblade Chronicles 4?