I've just read all interviews that Iwata conducted with Monolithsoft staff, first of all Takahashi, regarding Xenoblade. (Found
here and
here.) And there is a lot of interesting material there, past thoughts regarding Xenogears and Xenosaga, what worked and what didn't and why and so on. And it feels almost heartbreaking to me, that the people, my fellow Xeno-fans, are not here anymore to discuss it. That is of course only natural, people grow and tastes change, and in particular the means of communication and discussion changed. It is quite a pity... but I look at that with a sense of fond nostalgia.
At least MegaTen and The Secret World fandoms are here to calm that "itch" to a degree.