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Capcom plans to sell 3.9 million more copies of Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
Alongside Capcom's financial report for the 2013 fiscal year yesterday, in which it revealed an increase in net income by 15.9 percent year-over-year, it also offered some projections for the upcoming financial year (ending March 31, 2015). Given the continued success of its Monster Hunter brand, Capcom projected sales of Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate to reach 3.9 million units in North America, Europe, Japan and other Asian countries. The game will reach the west in early 2015. Additionally, Capcom reported that its strategy for mobile includes the launch of Monster Hunter Freedom Unite on iOS this month. The PSP game went free for PlayStation Plus users in March. Capcom also plans to launch another mobile game in the series this year called Monster Hunter Smart. The company noted strategies for PC in Japan and other parts of Asia, namely by introducing the beta phase of Monster Hunter Online as well as Breath of Fire 6 this summer. The latter was announced in August 2013 for PC, iOS and Android, whereas the former is the result of an April 2013 partnership between Capcom and Tencent to bring the free-to-play MMO to PC players in China. Lastly, Capcom mentioned plans to "develop titles exclusively for online games," specifically mentioning Deep Down for PS4, a free-to-play game first announced in September. [Image: Capcom]
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate contest asks fans to design weaponry
We've got the rest of 2014 to wait before Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate enlists Western audiences in its latest clash with oversized wildlife, but fans can begin crafting their dream-tier weaponry right now. Capcom Unity's Community Specialist Yuri Lindbergh has announced a competition where participants will submit design and name ideas for weaponry, the winners of which may be featured in MH4U. Capcom will select one victor from the Americas and one from the combined regions of Europe, New Zealand and Australia. Only one entry is allowed per person though, so make sure you submit the prime choice from your daydreamed arsenal to contest (at) capcom (dot) com. You'll need to title your email as "MH4U WEAPON DESIGN," and the design must be based off one of the 14 weapon classes present in MH4U. Submitting concept descriptions of up to 100 words is allowed, but not required. Participants also need to be 18 or older. Capcom is accepting submissions until noon EST on May 5, so there's no need to rush through creating your masterpiece. Winners will be awarded with a to-be-determined digital prize, though its monetary value will be $0. You can check out the rest of the contest's terms & conditions here before you start flexing your creative muscle. [Image: Capcom]
2D Monster Hunter with extra dragons from Spry Fox
Everything in this game is dragons – the cows are dragons, the chickens are dragons, the bears are dragons, the wolves are dragons. You aren't a dragon, but in the earliest art, you do have a sweet red beard that trails into the distance, turning green at its tip. It doesn't have a name yet, but Spry Fox is set on making a dragon-filled, monster-catcher game. "You can sort of think of this as a 2D Monster Hunter," Chief Creative Officer Daniel Cook said. "You're riding these dragon creatures .... You can hunt them down. You have a home base and the animals will come and terrorize your farm and your home, and they'll steal stuff from you and you can steal it back, track them down and tame them. And then you turn them into mounts of your own." The main attack in this dragon game is a lunge – movement is more akin to jumping monkeys than soaring, mythical beasts. You can hop quickly across rocks and glide in the air, positioning your mount for the best lunge. The creatures will be procedurally generated, and they come from Glitch artist Brent Kobayashi, who's also doing the art for Spry Fox's Road Not Taken. That one is due out, tentatively, this summer for PS4, Vita and Steam. This game isn't an MMO, but Spry Fox is working on a couple of those, Edery said, including one based on Steambirds, the studio's aerial combat game. The team has one engineer that keeps busy building these prototypes. Cook says they like things clean and simple, and a single engineer helps with that. For every 10 mediocre games, there's one hit that keeps the studio running – see Triple Town – Cook said. "2D Monster Hunter" might just do that trick. See below for a larger first look at Spry Fox's dragon-catcher game.
Monster Hunter roars to life at Universal Studios Japan
Slaying giant beasts on your 3DS is all well and good, but if you want to meet the creatures of Capcom's Monster Hunter franchise face to face, you're going to need a plane ticket to Osaka. There, at Universal Studios Japan, you'll find a new Monster Hunter-themed attraction dubbed "Monster Hunter The Real." The event runs through May 11 and includes shops selling food and drink modeled after items found in the game, as well as a display where you can view real-world mockups of the game's various weapons and sets of armor. As you'd expect, the real draw of the exhibit is its gigantic beasts. That video you see above was captured by YouTube user "ExorcistPlexLife" during a 2012 incarnation of the event, and it depicts an animatronic Gold Rathian looking far more sedate than the last time he crushed you into a fine paste. More details on Monster Hunter The Real are available at 4Gamer, though if you don't read Japanese you'll have to settle for gawking at a few dozen recent images of the event. [Image: Capcom]
Monster Hunter 4G announced, MH4 Ultimate coming west in early 2015
Japan's favorite wildlife activity is getting a followup in Japan - following last year's Monster Hunter 4 for the 3DS, Monster Hunter 4G will plan more hunting excursions on the same device in the fall. Siliconera reports that the news was announced during the Monster Hunter Festa 13 event, the participants of which presumably responded with a gentle golf clap and reserved nods of approval. Monster Hunter 4 data will transfer over to 4G, so if you've imported last year's entry, you can keep slaying beasts without worry. Unlike Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, which reached the 3DS and Wii U and supported multiplayer between the two versions, 4G was only announced for the 3DS. A Western release was not mentioned. Update: In a video message to fans, producer Ryozo Tsujimoto announced that Monster Hunter 4G will receive an early 2015 Western release called Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. Tsujimoto confirmed that 4 Ultimate will support online play in addition to local play.
3DS trumps lifetime Wii sales in Japan
The Wii may be Nintendo's highest selling console to date, but at least in Japan, it's been eclipsed by the Nintendo 3DS. The most recent figures from Japanese sales tracking authority Media Create show that the 3DS has sold 12,752,731 units in the island nation. By contrast, the Wii has sold 12,698,878 units. As GamesIndustry points out, with the 3DS enjoying its golden years and the Wii slowly fading from memory, it seems likely that the handheld will maintain its lead. There are many reasons for the success of the 3DS, but most notable is the sales juggernaut known as Monster Hunter 4. Japan apparently loves murdering giant beasts, as the game has remained in Media Create's top sales spot since its debut. Buoyed by this hyper-popular game, the 3DS managed to sell 159,388 units in Japan during the week of September 16 alone - an impressive feat, given that total hardware sales for the period were only 187,773.
Capcom COO: No Monster Hunter 4 Vita plans 'for now'
Capcom currently has no plans to release Monster Hunter 4 on the Vita, according to Siliconera's translation of Mainichi Shinbun Digital's interview with Capcom COO Haruhiro Tsujimoto last week. Tsujimoto explained that Capcom wants "to have as many people as possible play it on the 3DS, and we are only thinking about making it succeed." Tsujimoto cited a "limit to how long something can be continuously developed on the same hardware" as a reason for the switch up between Sony and Nintendo's platforms. When he was questioned about developing for the PS4 and next-generation consoles, Tsujimoto's thoughts seemed to clash with their strategy for Monster Hunter 4: "While planning out game content, we will develop and judge which hardware is the most suitable. However, for the sake of the players, having it be a multi-development is the most ideal." During the same interview, Tsujimoto stated that Capcom hopes to sell 2.8 million units of Monster Hunter 4 in seven months. Considering they managed to move 1.6 million copies of the Japan-exclusive Monster Hunter Tri-G for the 3DS, finding 2.8 million players to slay a fresh pack of monsters with enormous weapons might be a cakewalk.
Monster Hunter Frontier G exploring Wii U, PS3 this year in Japan
Capcom will bring Monster Hunter Frontier G to PS3 and Wii U later this year, according to a translation of the latest issue of Famitsu by Siliconera. The MMO is an update to 2007's Monster Hunter Frontier, which is already available for Xbox 360 and PC. Those two platforms should have recently received an update to Monster Hunter Frontier G2, according to the game's preview site. Even though the game will eventually be the same across all four platforms, PS3 and Wii U versions will have separate servers from PC and Xbox 360. Like Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Frontier G will be compatible with the Wii U's Game Pad and Pro Controllers. However, Siliconera notes that it will not make use of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk control configuration. Frontier G will be available as a free download with physical copies available for 6,090 yen ($62), and will require monthly fees. The game will launch on November 20 for PS3 and December 11 on Wii U.
Trailer shows off China's upcoming Monster Hunters Online
If you've had the urge to slay dinosaurs, dragons, and even giant beavers, you'll have the chance -- if you live in China. The Monster Hunter franchise is expanding into the Chinese market with a free-to-play version called Monster Hunter Online. Along with the aforementioned giant bosses (and plenty of others), the MMO will add more weapons, monsters, and locales to the series. Developed by Tencent Games and Capcom, Monster Hunter Online will be powered by CryEngine 3 instead of Capcom's own engine. How big of a difference does that make? Check out the trailer after the cut and see for yourself.
CryEngine 3-powered Monster Hunter Online headed to China
Capcom and Tencent are working on a new Monster Hunter for the Chinese market – which means that it's a free-to-play MMO for PC. The new Monster Hunter Online also diverges from the rest of the series in that it uses CryEngine 3 instead of one of Capcom's own engines. You can ... really tell.Monster Hunter Online brings new monsters, weapons, and locations to the series, with the familiar quest-oriented gameplay and giant boss battles. Tencent will begin testing the game in June. And just like that, Capcom is saved![Thanks, Szczesny and Mike!]
Plesioth returns in latest Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate screens
Capcom unveiled new Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate screens that feature a familiar face: the Plesioth monster that dates back to the first game in the series, which debuted in 2004 on the PS2.Since that first game didn't feature any underwater combat, Capcom said Plesioth has "prepared an interesting set of moves" for the underwater battles in the upcoming game. Bring it, Plessy. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate is heading to North American 3DS and Wii U consoles in March. %Gallery-176062%
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate and the hunting party
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, an upgraded version of Monster Hunter Tri coming to the Wii U and 3DS, made its American debut at New York Comic-Con.In my first twenty-minute experience with the Wii U version of the action-RPG, I was able to step into the mind of a true hunter, both through my own travails against the giant Zinogre, and through the crowd of Monster Hunter devotees that surrounded the booth.%Gallery-168141%
New Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate screens and video are a load of shaka-laka
As if Thursday's screens of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate weren't enough, Capcom is roaring back with more images of the Wii U version.Additionally, the cute video above explains the differences in the multiplayer offerings between the Wii U and 3DS versions of the game. The trailer also illustrates the game's ability to transfer save data between the two Nintendo consoles, allowing players to hunt enormous beasts on the go.Both versions of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate are due to arrive in March 2013. %Gallery-167726%
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate to use Nintendo servers, no bundle planned
Christian Svensson, Capcom's Senior VP of planning and business development took to the Capcom Unity forums this week to clear up questions about Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, which was unveiled during a Nintendo Direct presentation this week.Among the noteworthy clarifications Svensson provided was a confirmation that the 3DS version would not support online play, that there are no current plans to package the 3DS and Wii U versions of the game together in a "hard bundle," and that the Monster Hunter Tri servers will eventually be shut down.Svensson also mentioned that Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate will use Nintendo's servers for the Wii U version, though the team is "still waiting for Wii U builds in our office to play with and there's still many moving parts that no one except for the team members has first hand experience with at this point."
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate announced for Wii U and 3DS, available March 2013 [Update]
Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime announced the return of Capcom's Monster Hunter series in the form of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate during a Nintendo Direct press briefing today.The game will be available in Europe and North America in March 2013, and features online multiplayer. Fils-Aime highlighted cross-platform multiplayer as a feature for the game, allowing players to progress their characters across Wii U and 3DS versions.Nintendo's Wii U system was dated and priced at the press briefing today as well.Update: Capcom sent us a press release with more features for Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, including over 200 quests, touch-screen inventory and map functionality, and a "guild card" that can be swapped with other players using the 3DS' Street Pass feature.Players will also be able to transfer their save data between both systems. The 3DS version supports local four-player multiplayer, with no mention of online play for the portable version.Update #2: We've added an announcement video above from Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate producer Ryozo Tsujimoto.
Resident Evil movie director: Monster Hunter movie planned
Paul W.S. Anderson, director of the first Resident Evil movie and the upcoming Resident Evil Retribution, offered the first hints of a movie based on another Capcom megahit franchise: Monster Hunter.In an interview with Cinema Today, Anderson was asked what game he'd like to make a movie about next. "Recently, I've been loving Monster Hunter," he said (translated from Japanese by Andriasang). "A film conversion is currently in planning." His brief response leaves many unanswered questions, like whether this is his own plan or an official studio decision, whether Capcom is involved yet, and whether Anderson is actually involved or if this is simply information he has about a movie progressing without himWhat we do know is that if he is involved, Milla Jovovich will be hunting monsters.[Image: Monster Hunter 4]
Monster Hunter Frontier G announced for April 2013 in Japan
An expansion to the 2007 Monster Hunter Frontier game was announced today at the Monster Hunter Frontier Appreciation Festival in Tokyo. Monster Hunter Frontier G, announced for Xbox 360 and PC, will launch in Japan on April 17 next year.According to a translation by Andriasang, the update will include 10 new monsters, over 300 G-class weapons and armor sets, over 30 new skills and four new elementals. The site also notes Capcom's plans for frequent updates in the G series, with further expansions also planned for Fall 2013 and Spring 2014.
Monster Hunter: Massive Hunting hits iOS/Android in Japan this year
Capcom's masssively successful (in Japan) Monster Hunter series is returning to the massively successful (in Japan) GREE platform this year, for an iOS/Android social game called Monster Hunter: Massive Hunting.Similar to Capcom's previous iOS Monster Hunter, you fight giant beasts using touch controls, including "tap and flick" gestures. Players can also pick up materials to make new equipment, and use a "friend hunting" system, which adds a currently undefined social element. Presumably it doesn't involve hunting and killing your real life friends.
New Monster Hunter 4 trailer outs Spring 2013 Japanese release window
Despite the fact that its monsters have been rather quiet since we first heard about them during last year's Tokyo Game Show, Monster Hunter 4 not only still exists, but it even has a "Spring 2013" Japanese release window, according to Andriasang's translation of Famitsu's breakdown of the above trailer.The trailer also shows off the 3DS title's grand and/or sweeping vistas, dragonish and monkey-esque monsters, gross squishy bugs and adorable little dinosaur guys, as well as all the running, jumping and climbing things that our hero will be doing on his way to kill anything bigger than he is. Sadly, there is still no word on a North American release window.
E3 2012: Perfect World's RaiderZ isn't Monster Hunter Online
Action combat seems to be the name of the game for MMOs at this year's E3. While tab-targeting is nice for eating pizza and raiding, sometimes you want something more visceral, so we have some top contenders for you today. RaiderZ is Perfect World Entertainment's newest action-based MMO, and while some people have an issue with its name, I've heard others note, in both positive and negative lights, its similarity to another game series very dear to my heart. I say that the comparison is a bit unfair to Perfect World, since what the studio has created isn't just different -- in some ways, it's better, especially if you're a fan of MMOs, which, if you're reading Massively, you probably are. Since I know some console folks (even me!) have been thinking it for a while, let's just say it out loud and get it over with: RaiderZ is a Monster Hunter clone! Got it out of your system? Good. Now go wash your mouth out with soap.
