Monster Hunter World has been a gigantic success for Capcom. The publisher's best selling game ever, the action role-playing title blew away expectations when it launched back in January of last year -- our own included. But how did Capcom create such a huge hit? What did it do differently with World that made the game resonate with so many new players? In an interview with VGC, producer Ryozo Tsujimoto explains why he thinks World has found so much success.
"Our success in the west with Monster Hunter World comes down to a lot of things coming together that we didn’t have before with previous titles," Tsujimoto says. "Players wanted us to release our games on consoles, because in the years before Monster Hunter World he had been focused on portables, which was something that was maybe holding us back in the West. We found that Western players want a console experience on a big screen TV at home," he explains.
Obviously, Monster Hunter World's success is largely down to it catching on here in the West. The series has been incredibly popular in Japan for years, but chained to handheld consoles, it was never able to find that same appeal overseas.
Tsujimoto also cites the game's worldwide release as a major factor. Previously, Monster Hunter titles would launch in Japan first, and then head West later -- sometimes much later. Capcom aimed to crack the Western market with Monster Hunter World, and it did exactly that by having it release across the globe at the same time. Everyone had a chance to experience the title together.
Of course, it also helps that Monster Hunter World is an absolutely brilliant game that's fully deserving of its popularity. When World was first announced, many said that Capcom was taking a risk -- that it was going to alienate existing fans and be ignored by everyone else. And while success is never 100 per cent guaranteed in this industry, it's now clear that Capcom knew what it was doing -- it had a plan for Monster Hunter, and it executed it pretty much perfectly.
[source videogameschronicle.com]
Comments 18
They said the exact opposite thing back when MH4 was in development. I don't think these guys have a firm grasp on why MHW took off.
It also released at a good time.... unlike the expansion.
Yup, 3rd party games always sells best on playstation console, see the rise of the tomb raider for another example
@TeslaChippie I think mhw took of because it took chances, there’s no way mhw can become big like others western AAA games if the games contained in a handheld system. Go big or go home lol.
There's still quite a bit of demand for handheld MH experiences, though. Especially in Japan.
It would make a lot of sense to have a Switch-exclusive portable line of MH games in addition to the home console games.
I own World, and intend to get around to it someday, but... I dunno. The portability was a big part of its appeal to me. I'm still kind of bummed out that the Vita never got a MH game. It was the perfect hardware for it.
I’m just glad MH is getting the success that it deserves.
best monster Hunter game ever. monster hunter world is one of the best game ever.i never was a monster Hunter fan until I tried monster Hunter 🌎 world.the heavy bowgun is so fun.word up son
As someone who played the old games on the 3DS I always thought that this franchise was more fitted for the big screen not only for the look of the huge monsters but also the time it took to hunt a monster was longer and not really a pick of and play for short bursts
I think the huge amount of success it's had surprised everyone. But it is a very well made game. Great game play, only thing it lacks is a decent story but it's not a deal breaker.
I love the series but have no interest in handheld gaming whatsoever. It's hands down at it's best on a tv.
And I don’t see it ever coming back to Portables due to sales...
Well, it was called The PS4 😉
There some games You just need to experience On a nice big TV with eye candy. Monster Hunter: World was one of them.
MH is finally is Global... And with 4K TVs selling like hotcakes in the USA and PS5 around the corner. It will only get better.
Can't argue with that logic when you look at the sales, I have yet to play the new Monster Hunter game despite putting hundreds of hours into the games on Wii and 3DS, I really need to fix that especially with the new Expansion coming up, the game is really calling my name.
@Ralizah im pretty sure i owned a MH game on vita when i had one.
@ellsworth004 If you're talking about Freedom Unite, that's a PSP game that's playable on Vita.
@Ralizah so u meant like a vita exclusive or one that wasnt a remake.
@ellsworth004 I mean a game developed for the Vita. Freedom Unite is playable on Vita, but it was designed with the controls and specs of the PSP in mind.
@Ralizah did u like freedom unite? I didnt care for it much. Sad that the vita is pretty much dead. It was actually a very good handheld. Vita is pretty much what got me into indie games, some of my favorite games in the past few years are indies.
Monster Hunter World is the only monster game I actually like.
I tried the PSP version, the 3DS version and it just never clicked with me. Ofcourse could be because handheld games are more restricted in terms of hardware. Don't think you can pull this off on a 3DS, Vita ... maybe Switch? I dunno.
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