Summary
Monster Hunteris currently sitting at the top of its game. Its next major entry,Monster Hunter Wilds, was announced for a 2025 launch,Monster Hunter Nowwas recently released on mobile,Monster Hunter Riseand its expansionSunbreakhave finished their updates, andMonster Hunter WorldandIceborneare doing better than ever. In fact,Monster Hunter Worlditself has become the single highest-selling game in Capcom’s history at a staggering 25 million units as of March 2024. Even withMonster Hunter Wildson the way, the hype forMonster Hunter Worldhas not died.
The fifthMonster Huntergeneration that began withWorldin 2018 has brought in countless new players to Capcom’s once-experimental action-RPG franchise. While that doesn’t necessarily meanMH Worldhas stayed their favorite entry, what it has done for the IP can’t be understated.Monster Hunter Wildsseems intended to capitalize onWorld’s success, but the amount of changes it’s poised to make to the series’ gameplay, format, and potential content rollout means it’s already gambling on that success. For that reason, Capcom shouldn’t ignore the fallback plan it already has on hand.
Why Monster Hunter Wilds May Leave Monster Hunter’s Status Quo Behind
What little has been shown ofMonster Hunter Wildssuggests that it is pulling the focus ofMonster Hunter’s regular hunting gameplay even further out thanMonster Hunter Worlddid. Anopen world environment inMH Wildshas not been confirmed yet, but the vista at the end of its reveal trailer suggests it is a possibility.Monster Hunter’s focus on fighting large beasts in defined arenas should still be present, but traversal via a new multipurpose mount and tracking over longer distances could add a sense of realistic hunting toWilds’ gameplay loop.
Post-Launch Support For Monster Hunter Wilds Might Be Limited
Depending on how this increased scope is handled,Monster Hunter Wildsmay break several series traditions. For one, this may be the only release thatMH Wildsgets, lacking the traditionalIceborneandSunbreak-style G-Rank expansion. One of those implies a new map, and whileMH Wildscould still give strong monsters like Fatalistheir own arenas for endgame quests, an entire new pseudo-open world zone with its own ecosystem may be too much.
As a consequence, post-launch updates may also be deemphasized inMonster Hunter Wilds. Cosmetic crossovers will likely remain, but with no expansion on the table, adding multiple new large monsters in patches likeWorldandRisedid feels similarly unlikely.
How Monster Hunter World Can Play Support For MH Wilds
All of that would be an intensebreak from the traditionsMonster Hunterhas upheldto this point, but if they do happen, another game can step in to soften the blow. With plenty of post-launch updates for themselves and their expansions, on top of constantly rotating events and even large-scale cosmetic changes for their hubs,Monster Hunter WorldandRisehave a good handle on their live-service elements.
If the vision forMonster Hunter Wilds’ content doesn’t mesh with a long-lasting update cycle, then those games, especiallyMonster Hunter World, can resume their own.
Returning To Monster Hunter World Could Take Many Forms
Monster Hunter Worldwould be especially adept at doing this, as its best-in-franchise sales mean it already has an install base eager to jump into new content. The live-service elements feeding intoMonster Hunter Worldwould need to be distinct and spaced out fromMonster Hunter Wilds’ efforts, but they shouldn’t last for longer than one year.
After that,MH Worldcould either get aRise-fueled expansion, native ports to the latest console generation, a new content roadmap punctuated by redesigned hubs, or any combination of those to return to prominence. HavingMonster Hunter Worldrunning alongsideMonster Hunter Wildswould be a shocking development for the esteemed hunting series, but could work out great in the long run.
