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Capcom net income slides 10%, Monster Hunter 4 sells 4 million
Capcom reported a net income of 5,957 million yen ($58.3 million) for the first nine months of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2014. This marks a 10.3 percent decrease year-over-year when compared with the net income of 6,645 million yen ($65 million) reported for the first nine months of the last fiscal year. Overall net sales were up year-over-year by 3.5 percent to 75,221 million yen ($736.4 million) while operating income and ordinary income saw year-over-year decreases of 13.4 percent and 8 percent, respectively. Capcom said the Japanese home video game market was in a "transition period" as the nine-month period drew to a close, thanks especially to comparatively late arrivals of next-generation consoles in the region; both the PS4 and Xbox One have yet to launch in Japan. The publisher did credit its successes to the launch of Monster Hunter 4, which topped 4 million in sales, bringing the series total to 28 million units. Additionally, Xbox One launch game Dead Rising 3 topped one million copies shipped. Capcom's digital business (both DLC and full game downloads) amounted to 56,067 million yen ($548.9 million) in net sales. [Image: Capcom]
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.
Capcom hiring '100 software developers' every year for at least five years
In a continuation of Capcom's blame "insufficient coordination" overseas cover story for financial issues, CEO Kenzo Tsujimoto has given a grand overview of the company's strategy to increase internal development. Tsujimoto had mentioned in late 2012 he planned to hire 1,000 people over ten years. "I want to build a development framework that can put the right people in the right places. This process will reflect an understanding of what consumers want and what types of products have become hits," said Tsujimoto. "From now on, I plan to hire at least 100 software developers every year to give us an even more powerful development workforce. Furthermore, I want to establish clear targets for these developers so they can help make Capcom even stronger." Over the year, Capcom will integrate global operation and sales. It's also focusing on downloadable content, mobile, online and "brand contents." This is all part of a "comprehensive review" of the company's software development operations.
Monster Hunter 4 shipments rise to 4 million
Monster Hunter 4 continues to capture big numbers in Japan, with shipments (including downloadable sales) passing the 4 million mark at swift pace. The 3DS action-RPG gobbled up 3 million shipments a month after hitting Japan's retail shelves, and took just seven weeks to add another million to that burgeoning figure. Japan's love affair with all things Monster Hunter is evidenced by the series' total sales surpassing 28 million, but how many of those sales come from outside the country remains unclear. As does the matter of Monster Hunter 4 heading west or not; Capcom is still keeping shush about that.
Lost Planet 3 ships 300,000 units, Dead Rising 3 aims for 1.2 million
Capcom has put a number to the "below expectations" performance of Lost Planet 3, that of 300,000 units shipped worldwide as of the end of September. While that only represents its first month at retail, the shooter sequel developed by Californian studio Spark Unlimited failed to hit performance targets in Europe and North America. The Japanese company previously expressed disappointment in the "excessive" amount of projects outsourced overseas, which it believed led to a decrease in quality. Capcom previously deemed Lost Planet 2 an underperformer, but that game went on to ship 1.5 million units worldwide. That said, based on its first month figures Lost Planet 3 will have done very well if it matches that performance. It's not all doom and gloom for Capcom. For starters, the 1 million units shipped by console and PC ports of Resident Evil: Revelations were in line with projections. Also, expansion/follow-up Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen came in at 650,000 units, comparing favorably to the million-plus shipped by the original game. Then there's the small matter of Monster Hunter 4, with the 3DS juggernaut shipping 3 million units in its first month - and that's just in Japan. Looking ahead, Capcom's big name game in the second half of its fiscal year is Dead Rising 3. Given it's a launch game on Xbox One, there's pragmatism to the company's projections of 1.2 million units shipped by the end of March 2014. While Dead Rising 2 shipped 2.2 million units a few years ago, Capcom put that game out on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. As it stands, the sequel is exclusive to the Xbox One.
Limited edition Monster Hunter 4 3DS coming to Japan
Japan will receive this limited edition Monster Hunter 4-themed 3DS on November 7, appropriately bundled with a copy of the game and the knowledge that everyone else on the JR Line is super, super jealous. Whether that's worth not having a new 3DS, however, is up to you. The bundle costs ¥19,800, which works out to about $200 at today's exchange rates. We'd recommend snagging one while you can due to the favorable economic climate for dollar-to-yen imports, but "while you can" is pretty much the only way to buy limited edition 3DS units like this. No word yet on whether the bundle will make it to other territories.
Monster Hunter 4 ships 3 million in a month
More than three million shipments a month after it was released shows Japan is very much in love with Monster Hunter 4. The monster figure includes all download sales of the 3DS game, which was released in the country on September 14. To top it off, the series' total sales are now more than a whopping 26 million. You only have to wander around Tokyo with a 3DS to realize how doolally Japan is for Capcom's action-RPG. 53 of the 158 people that I StreetPass-ed during our Tokyo Game Show trip were playing Monster Hunter 4 (yup, I just counted it), and that was the week after it came out. A fair proportion of the rest were clinging on to MH3 Ultimate.
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.
Mario, Luigi, Link costumes in Monster Hunter 4
Nintendo is continuing its amusing tradition of lending iconic franchises to 3rd party games with Mario, Luigi and Link costumes in Monster Hunter 4, today's Monster Hunter 4 Direct revealed. The presentation opens with a look at two Felynes in Mario and Luigi costumes playing around with hammers, a scenario that feels like it's from an alternate universe's Mario & Luigi: Dream Team. At around 24:00, a pair of human characters dressed in Link's tunic appear, armed with the Master Sword and what appears to be Zelda's bow from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. The Mario and Luigi costumes will be available for download at 7-Elevens in Japan, Siliconera's translation of the presentation revealed. The Zelda-themed items will also be available via download, but the details regarding those will be revealed at a later date.
Monster Hunter 4 Direct sets off on Sunday
This weekend's Monster Hunter 4-themed Nintendo Direct could spill some intriguing news. As our friends at Engadget Japan noted, Capcom and Nintendo agreed on some kind of collaboration ahead of the 3DS game's launch on September 14, saying they'll reveal the specifics of that in a "direct" fashion. Well then! Either way, this weekend's Direct should provide another substantial look at the RPG so eagerly anticipated in Japan, where Siliconera reports pre-orders have surpassed the million mark. But will Monster Hunter 4 come to the west? Well, it seems unlikely we will hear any more on that in this Japan-focused Direct, but that doesn't mean you can't tune in and hope. Make sure you're at this link on Sunday, September 8; the broadcast starts at 8PM Japan Standard Time (4AM PT, 7AM ET, 2PM UK time).
Report: Nintendo aims for 5 million 3DS sales in Japan this year
Capcom held an event in Tokyo today for Monster Hunter 4 , during which Nintendo president Satoru Iwata revealed Nintendo intends to sell five million 3DS systems in Japan this calendar year. This figure is actually part of a bigger goal, Bloomberg reports: worldwide 3DS sales of 18 million. Nintendo's latest earnings report pegged 3DS sales at 1.4 million for the three months ended in June, with software sales at 11 million. The release of four new Street Pass games also bolstered Nintendo's bottom line by earning $4 million in profit this month. In North America, the 3DS has flourished at retail, holding onto the top hardware spot for the last three months in a row. The latest retail report points out a 14 percent increase in sales year-over-year.
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 4 trailer is a cavalcade of characters
Outside of the usual gamut of monsters to stalk and slay in Monster Hunter 4, the upcoming 3DS game will also play host to a plethora of personalities.
Monster Hunter 4 tracks Japan Sep. 14 [update: trailer, Ace Attorney Iwata]
Monster Hunter 4 seeks out Japan on September 14. Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto announced the release date in a Nintendo Direct today, during which he also unveiled two limited edition MH4 3DS XLs. Both designs are due at launch, and come with the game. There's no news as yet on MH4 localization for the west. Update: We've added in the new trailer that was shown during the Direct broadcast. You can find the MH4 3DS designs after the break, along with the undoubted highlight of today's Direct: Ace Attorney Iwata.
Monster Hunter 4, Ace Attorney 5 feature in Nintendo Direct for Japan this week
Japan is getting a bit of exclusive Nintendo Direct love this week. On Friday, May 31, Nintendo will broadcast a presentation that will focus on 3DS games Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies and Monster Hunter 4. The Direct, which you can watch here, begins at 8PM in Japan (4AM PT, 7AM ET, midday Brit-time). Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies has its release date of July 25 in Japan - it's scheduled to come west to the eShop this autumn. Monster Hunter 4, however, is still undated, so maybe this week's Direct will see its summer window upgraded to something more concrete.
Here are a bunch of Monster Hunter 4 screens for ants
So, we have screens galore of Monster Hunter 4 for you, but there's one tiny catch. Well, specifically 55 tiny shots which match the 3DS' resolution. Still, your reward for slogging through all those not-so-big pics is 13 not-so-tiny pieces of concept art. %Gallery-169475%
Monster Hunter 4 out in Japan March 2013, includes online multiplayer
North America will get Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate on 3DS and Wii U in March 2013. Meanwhile, Capcom announced a March 2013 window for the 3DS Monster Hunter 4 in Japan. Unlike the 3DS version of 3 Ultimate, Monster Hunter 4 includes online play for four players.While you're waiting the indeterminate period between now, the Japanese release, and the potential localization, you can check out some gameplay footage in the new TGS trailer above.
Seen@TGS: Capcom's massive Monster Hunter 4 village
We don't know how to tell you this, but Monster Hunter is kind of a big deal in Japan.
On Monster Hunter 4's similarities to Dragon's Dogma
This is a column by Kat Bailey dedicated to the analysis of the once beloved Japanese RPG sub-genre. Tune in every Wednesday for thoughts on white-haired villains, giant robots, Infinity+1 swords, and everything else the wonderful world of JRPGs has to offer. Before Dragon's Dogma became a surprise success, the common refrain was that it was Monster Hunter for westerners. The developers expressed surprise, but given the presence of large, roaming beasts and Capcom's role as a publisher, the comparison was perhaps inevitable.Now though, the shoe is very much on the other foot. Over the weekend, Capcom released a new trailer for Monster Hunter 4, and the whiff of Dragon's Dogma was unmistakable. It's not just the fact that you can grapple with monsters, but the overall feel of the whole presentation. All it's missing is B'z and his beautiful, completely nonsensical lyrics.On the whole, Monster Hunter seems to be going for the faster, punchier feel of Dragon's Dogma, home of castle-destroying snake monsters and other beasts. In both the new trailer and last year's trailer, the main character can be seen hopscotching across chasms and swinging across ceilings. He clings to a wall while a dragon-like Tigrex tries to torch him from below. He scales a sheer cliff in pursuit of a beast that looks like a cross between an orangutan and Stitch from Lilo & Stitch fame. And, of course, he is clearly seen hanging for dear life on the back of a dragon while stabbing for all he's worth.%Gallery-149480%
