An insider close to Bandai Namco and JRPG developer Monolith Soft suggests that a Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean remake is currently in development. When it comes to Nintendo, there are plenty of beloved franchises or series that fans have seen languishing or locked to a console that makes it hard to come by without expensive retro hardware or emulation. This applies to lesser-known, but critically beloved titles on consoles like the GameCube, which contains a number of experimental games like the Baten Kaitos duology, which have never been re-released on modern hardware.
For the uninitiated, Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean is a 2003 JRPG developed by both Monolith Soft and tri-Crescendo, which was published by Namco as an exclusive for the GameCube. While it was critically beloved, it sold rather poorly, which resulted in the game garnering a cult classic status in the years afterwards. After that, Namco would join with Bandai to form Bandai Namco, while Nintendo bought out Monolith Soft wholesale, with the developer going on to develop Xenoblade Chronicles and its sequels. With this success however, it seems like the JRPG developer will be revisiting the GameCube classic with a remake.
According to a report from eXputer, insiders have leaked that the first Baten Kaitos game is getting a remake exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. There is reportedly graphical evidence of this remake that the site had received, though is unable to share publicly at this time. Both Bandai Namco and Monolith Soft are rumored to be working on this project, with Nintendo being involved as well.
These same sources state that there is a tentative release date planned for Summer 2023, with the game's reveal possibly appearing at this year's E3 event as well. It's unknown how much involvement Nintendo has in this rumored remake. It should also be noted that Bandai Namco had filed trademarks for Baten Kaitos back in 2021, so work could have started as early as two years ago. Regardless, despite the pleasant surprise of the remake's possibility, fans should take this information with a grain of salt.
Rumors about Bandai Namco from earlier this month had indicated the studio was also working on a "3D Action Game" that was commissioned by Nintendo. At the time, the likely title in question was of the 3DS title Kid Icarus: Uprising, though it's possible that it could have referred to Baten Kaitos too. It's also entirely possible that re-releases are being developed for both titles as exclusives for the Switch, though fans will need to wait and see if either rumor pans out.
A Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean remake is rumored to be in development.
Source: eXputer
