Nintendo moves Xenoblade Chronicles 3 release up to July

theverge.com:

While many big games have been delayed recently, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is moving in the opposite direction: Nintendo announced that the sci-fi RPG will now launch on July 29th instead of the previously planned September release. No specific reason was given for the change. The game will be a Nintendo Switch exclusive.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 will be the first main game in the series since its predecessor debuted on the Switch in 2017 and Nintendo first announced it earlier this year as part of the February 2022 Nintendo Direct. Like the rest of the series, the new game takes place in an expansive sci-fi universe; in addition to the release date, Nintendo also revealed a new trailer (embedded above) to further tease the story and world.

The change in release date comes at a time when plenty of major releases have been delayed for various reasons, including the challenge of developing games remotely during the pandemic. Most recently, this has affected games like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and Nintendo’s own sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, both of which have been delayed until 2023.