Xenoblade Chronicles 3D for New 3DS began development in Fall/Winter 2013, a year after the NA release for Wii in 2012, and was released April 10, 2015 for New 3DS.
It makes sense when Pranger explains that Nintendo of America/Treehouse can't localize everything.
You misunderstand my point.
I don't have a problem with NoA passing on the translation or NoE doing the heavy lifting.
As long as we get the game who really cares as long as the localization is done well (also considering translators are known to have trips to Japan to meet the higher ups, it's clear the text is no longer based on the US script after all we're not in the 90's anymore).
I have a problem with NoA supporting Xenoblade barely above the level Nintendo France/UK/German... supported Conker's Bad Fur Day.
Btw WiiU was released in 2012 and 3DS in 2011, development and localization for both probably shifted before too.
NoE published Pandora's Tower in 2012, I doubt NoA even thought of doing anything with it.
Last Story was released in February 2012 meaning that the localization process problably took the better part of 2011.
In short, NoA not doing the localization and NoE paying for it is AOK.
NoA sending the game to die or not even releasing them is stupid and moronic considering the barren release schedule they had.
Look up the release schedule you provided :
2012 had Xenoblade Chronicles, Rhythm Heaven Fever, Mario Party 9, Kirby's Dream Collection, The Last Story, and the launch of 3DS
And now let's trim out the fat that NoA didn't have anything to do with :
2012 had Xenoblade Chronicles, Rhythm Heaven Fever, Mario Party 9, Kirby's Dream Collection and the 2nd year of 3DS
We have RHF in February, MP9 in March, the hilarious rom dump in september
And Xenoblade in April but only for Gamestop.
NoA basically distributed Xenoblade like it was Metroid Prime Trilogy or some other limited edition, they vastly misread the market and I don't have any problem with people shitting on them for that.
Let's not forget that in e3 2011, a French Nintendo executive basically leaked that NoA were the one who didn't want to show Xenoblade at e3 hinting that NoA had no plan to release it at all (while also announcing that NoE was making bundles and stuffs to promote the game's release, because NoE know what their job is).
There is NO excuse for NoA's handling of the game that fell under operation Rainfall.
People are wary of NoA for very good reason and it probably affected WiiU's performance in the US (if ever slightly).