Monster Hunter, a series developed by Capcom, debuted on the PlayStation 2 back in 2004 to humble beginnings. The game did well in its home market of Japan, with part of the game’s appeal coming from its emphasis on co-op features, utilising the much overlooked PS2 online feature to connect players to fight big monsters as a team. The very first game did moderately well, but was a far cry from the ‘monster’ it is today.
The series found its secret sauce when it entered into the portable console market, with Monster Hunter Freedom (or Monster Hunter Portable in Japan) being released on the PlayStation Portable. The game became a huge hit, with people gathering on trains, in cafes, and just about anywhere you can think of, just to play together.
This new portable format pushed the inherent co-op nature of the Monster Hunter games to a new level, allowing players to play together in a physical location, enhancing the overall social experience of the game. It truly was an unique experience not many games could offer.
While Monster Hunter continued to thrive in Japan, its international appeal remained limited for years. It managed to make a splash with the release of the series’ 2nd generation, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite on the PSP, which sold a total of 3.8 million units worldwide. However, even with this moderate success, its international sales still remained as just a small subset of the series’ playerbase.
This cycle would repeat itself multiple times: Monster Hunter would do very well in its home market, but would only see moderate success in the international market with every subsequent release. The series seemed to be firmly entrenched in the portable console market, transitioning to the Nintendo 3DS with Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate for its third generation.
In fact, the entire 4th generation of Monster Hunter games were only released on portable consoles; the Nintendo 3DS and the Switch. It appeared that Monster Hunter would remain a niche experience, relegated to handhelds while Capcom’s other blockbuster franchise, Resident Evil, dominated the console space as their premier AAA series.
That seemed to be the case … until the release of Monster Hunter World in 2018.
The Shift to Console and Global Success
Monster Hunter: World was the series’ much awaited return to mainstream consoles, and Capcom did not disappoint. World represented a big shift from previous titles, being a lot more ambitious in scope with bigger maps, better graphics, bigger stories, and many quality of life changes. The game was a huge success, becoming THE best selling game in the series, on top of finally breaking into the international market in a big way.
World is not only the best selling Monster Hunter title, but also the best selling game by Capcom in general, beating out the previous champ, Resident Evil 7 by over 5 million copies. As of today, World has sold over 20 million copies.
The success of World also carried forward to the next title, Monster Hunter: Rise on the Nintendo Switch, which plays much more similarly to its portable console predecessor. It ultimately sold over 15 million copies, a huge increase from its previous generations’ portable titles.
2 weeks ago, Monster Hunter: Wilds, the first of the 6th generation of Monster Hunter games was released. Launched over 7 years after the release of Monster Hunter: World, it is set to be one of the biggest titles of the series, with over 8 million copies sold in the past week, and a peak of over 1.3 million players playing concurrently on Steam alone.
The series has came a long way since its humble beginnings and it may even one day overtake its big brother, Resident Evil, as Capcom’s lifetime best selling series. The series’ commitment to delivering better experiences with each new release made Monster Hunter: World possible. As a longtime fan of the series myself, World’s success didn’t only feel deserved; it felt like it should have come sooner.
The Heart of Monster Hunter
Much like the inspiring humble beginnings of Monster Hunter, its in-game characters share the same inspiring journey of self discovery and camaraderie.
I might have been too fixated on our differences but we’re all made of the same stuff, people are people wherever you go.
Alma, upon learning the culture of the locals after helping them.
You know, Hunter, when breakin’ a big rock, I use a tiny wedge. When dealing with something difficult, I treat it like a big ol’ rock. I get to hammering away at it. I just keep hammering away, and eventually that little wedge does its thing. I believe in that wedge, like I believe in you…. Hunter, we may not be much, just a couple of sputters in the aether. But we can move mountains.
Gemma, trying to motivate herself and the hunter.
With everywhere we go and everything we do in Monster Hunter, a strong emphasis is placed on helping one another regardless of background. You are not a one-man army, but instead you are supported by many characters, such as the smithy that upgrades your equipment.
Even when you play as the hunter, someone highly regarded with great capabilities, you are often reminded that you do not operate alone, and are instead supported by a wide cast of equally capable allies.
Perhaps unintentionally, this positive outlook in-game bled into the real world when players would help others in their quests. Some may argue that this is the true end-game content: to help others.
No matter which angle one looks at the series as a whole, it is full of positivity, from the players, to the developers and the in-game characters. Perhaps that is why this series is one that will stand the test of time and remain as the best in class of its genre for many more years to come.
We, as humans have an inherent drive to challenge ourselves, and ‘git gud’. Just as much as we want to ‘git gud’, we also want to help each other. Monster Hunter as a whole, provides all of those and more. Requiring us to ‘git gud’ when confronted with stronger and bigger monsters, and to help others in need whenever we can.
