Of the many new franchises Nintendo has created over the last decade or so, Xenoblade Chronicles is one that has gained a massive amount of traction in recent years. Since the release of the original Xenoblade Chronicles on the Wii back in 2010, the franchise's presence has been felt on every subsequent Nintendo console. Now, it seems that there will be a third mainline installment in the series.

While Xenoblade Chronicles has been around for over a decade now, many in the gaming community claim that it wasn't until Shulk's inclusion in Super Smash Bros. that the demand for Xenoblade Chronicles content started to increase. Given that the original game was released on the Wii in very limited quantities, many people wanted to know who Shulk was and the game that he came from. Although, the upcoming third game may be possibly be able to answer that question.

RELATED: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Mod Adds Melia from Xenoblade Chronicles

Jenna Coleman, known for her roles in both Doctor Who as Clara Oswald and Xenoblade Chronicles as Melia Antiqua, accidentally leaked Xenoblade Chronicles 3 during an interview that occurred a couple months back. Now, according to outside sources reporting to Fanbyte, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is not only in development, but will also feature returning characters, hence Coleman's knowledge of the game. Therefore, it seems like Melia will be making an appearance in the third installment.

In addition, the game might be officially revealed at some point in 2021. Reportedly, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was supposed to be revealed and released much sooner, but that didn't happen due to ongoing complications with the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as issues with Nintendo Switch optimization. Apparently, Monolith Soft is looking to have more character models on-screen at once during combat, more so than any other Xenoblade Chronicles installment.

Xenoblade Chronicles is known for its immense scale. With expansive and vibrant open-worlds for players to explore and discover, accompanied by numerous, unique enemy types to defeat. If the developers are trying to make it so that more character models interact on-screen with each other, then it's possible that Xenoblade Chronicles 3 could have players fighting against legions of enemies, similar to games like Dynasty Warriors or Hyrule Warriors.

It will be interesting to see how Xenoblade Chronicles 3 will look once it's finally unveiled. If the rumors are true and familiar faces will be returning to the series, then it's possible that the third game will tie multiple games in the Xenoblade Chronicles franchise together. Players might even see the return of some gameplay mechanics featured in Xenoblade Chronicles X.

MORE: Xenoblade Chronicles: Heart to Heart Answers Guide

Source: Fanbyte