In the lead-up to its global launch, Monster Hunter Wilds shattered pre-order records on both Steam and PlayStation, effortlessly following the path laid by its predecessors, Monster Hunter Rise (2022) and Monster Hunter: World (2018). These sales figures have firmly established Capcom's unique and esoteric RPG series as one of the world's biggest video game franchises.
However, this wasn't always the case. Just a few years ago, the idea of a Monster Hunter game achieving such widespread global acclaim would have been unthinkable. When Monster Hunter first debuted in 2004, it received mixed reviews. It wasn't until the series transitioned to the PSP in 2005 that it truly took off, albeit primarily in Japan.
For a long time, Monster Hunter was the epitome of a series that was more popular in Japan than anywhere else. The reasons for this were straightforward, but that didn't deter Capcom from striving to expand Monster Hunter's reach internationally. The success of Monster Hunter: World, Rise, and now Wilds proves that their efforts were more than worthwhile.
This is the story of how Monster Hunter transformed from a domestic sensation to a global powerhouse.
Monster Hunter Wilds is already proving to be immensely popular. | Image credit: Capcom
Around the time of Street Fighter 5's launch in 2016, Capcom underwent an internal reorganization to prepare for a new generation of games powered by their brand-new RE Engine, which replaced the aging MT Framework. This shift was more than just about new tools; it came with a mandate to develop games for a global audience, not just for existing fans in specific territories.
"It was a few factors that came together," says Hideaki Itsuno, a former game director at Capcom known for his work on Devil May Cry. "The change of the engine and also all teams were given a very clear goal at that point to make games that reach the global market. [Games] that are fun for everyone."
During the PS3 and Xbox 360 era, Capcom's focus seemed to be on capturing the "Western games market" with action-heavy games like Resident Evil 4, which was a hit. However, attempts to chase Western trends with gun-focused spinoffs like Umbrella Corps and the sci-fi shooter series Lost Planet were less successful. Capcom realized the need to create games that appealed universally, not just to fans of traditional Western genres.
"I think that we had that clear goal of just focusing and not holding anything back," Itsuno says. "Towards making good games that would reach people from all over the world."
Itsuno notes that the period leading up to 2017 was crucial. "The changes in organization and the changes in the engine, all these elements came together around that time," he says. The launch of Resident Evil 7 that year sparked a renaissance for Capcom.
No other series embodies this new company goal for global success better than Monster Hunter. While it had dedicated fans in the West, the series was predominantly more popular in Japan for many years. This wasn't because the series was intended to be exclusive to Japan, but due to several real-world factors.
Monster Hunter found significant success when it transitioned from PlayStation 2 to the PSP with Monster Hunter Freedom Unite. The handheld gaming market has always been stronger in Japan than in the West, as evidenced by the success of the PSP, Nintendo's DS, and more recently, the Switch. According to the series' executive producer Ryozo Tsujimoto, the key to Monster Hunter's success in Japan was the country's advanced wireless internet network, which allowed gamers to play reliably with friends.
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite saw the series arrive on PSP, a pivotal moment for Japanese gamers. | Image credit: Capcom
"20 years ago, Japan was in a very, very solid state in terms of the network environments available to people, and being able to connect and to play online together," Tsujimoto says. "And of course, we’re not speaking for everyone there, because we realize that there are people who may not have had the chance to play with friends back then. But by moving over to handheld systems, we were able to grow that player base that was interacting and playing multiplayer together."
Monster Hunter, built on the pillar of cooperative play, thrived in an environment where friends could easily join hunts together. This focus on the local market inadvertently reinforced Monster Hunter's image as a "Japan-only" brand, as Japan-only content and events were released to cater to the growing audience.
Despite this, Monster Hunter had a dedicated fanbase in the West, who were eager to experience the game's exclusive content. As internet infrastructure improved globally and online play became standard, Tsujimoto and his team saw an opportunity to launch the most advanced and globally accessible Monster Hunter game yet.
Released in 2018 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, Monster Hunter: World marked a significant shift for the franchise. It was designed for large-scale, AAA console quality action, with enhanced graphics, expansive areas, and, of course, larger monsters.
"Our approach to the globalization of the series and Monster Hunter in general really ties into not only the themes that we had going into designing the game, but also in the name of the game," Tsujimoto reveals. "The fact that we called it Monster Hunter: World is really kind of a nod to the fact that we wanted to appeal to this worldwide audience that we wanted to really dig into and experience Monster Hunter for the first time."
Monster Hunter: World was a turning point for the series, turning it into a true global phenomenon. | Image credit: Capcom
It was crucial that Monster Hunter: World did not prioritize one market over another. The game was released simultaneously worldwide, with no exclusive content locked to Japan. "It comes with realigning ourselves to hit those global standards that people come to expect of titles around the world," Tsujimoto explains.
Tsujimoto and his team conducted focus tests and user tests worldwide to refine Monster Hunter's formula and broaden its appeal. "We did focus tests and user tests across the world, and some of the impact of those — the feedback and the opinions that we got during that really affected how we designed our game systems and really affected how much success we had as a global title for that game," Tsujimoto says.
One significant change resulting from these tests was the addition of damage numbers when players hit monsters. These subtle tweaks to an already successful formula propelled Monster Hunter to unprecedented heights. While previous games sold between 1.3 to 5 million copies, Monster Hunter: World and its 2022 follow-up, Monster Hunter Rise, both exceeded 20 million copies sold.
This growth was no accident. Rather than altering the essence of Monster Hunter to suit Western tastes, Tsujimoto and the team found ways to make the series' unique and complex nature accessible to a broader audience without compromising its core. This approach continues with the latest installment, Monster Hunter Wilds.
"At its heart, Monster Hunter really is an action game, and that sense of accomplishment you get from really mastering that action is an important aspect of Monster Hunter," Tsujimoto explains. "But for newer players, it's really getting to that point. The steps involved in getting to that sense of accomplishment is really what we're trying to strategize for, in terms of designing for new players. So with World and Rise, for example, we were taking really great care to analyze where players got stuck, what was hard to understand, what they were having trouble with, getting player feedback, and also doing our own kind of research into that. And all of that kind of knowledge has impacted how we've implemented new systems into Wilds."
Within 35 minutes of its release, Monster Hunter Wilds reached 738,000 concurrent players on Steam, more than double the all-time high of Monster Hunter: World. With glowing reviews and the promise of more content, Monster Hunter Wilds is poised to surpass the achievements of World and Rise, continuing the series' mission to conquer the world.
