The development [of Xenoblade Chronicles X] did have its twists and turns, but we were able to finish up (just a little more until it’s complete) Xenoblade Chronicles X in the sci-fi world we aimed for from the beginning in a seamless open-world with online play, and I feel that we were able to overcome several obstacles as far as game development goes. With the vast world that was shown when Iwata-san introduced the game in the Nintendo Direct the other day, it would bring me great pleasure to have you folks get to thoroughly explore it.'' - Tetsuya Takahashi, Xenoblade Chronicles X Executive Director
We knew there would be online features, but was actual online play mentioned before? If so, I missed it.