Gamers will soon be able to play Monster Hunter on the go.
Pokemon Go creator Niantic Labs recently announced it had partnered with Cpacom to bring the world of Monster Hunter to mobile phones worldwide for gamers to enjoy while on the go.
The game is set for release sometime in September and will be playable on both Android and iOS platforms.
Monster Hunter Mobile Game Details
Niantic Labs' upcoming game based on Capcom's Monster Hunter franchise, named Monster Hunter Now, is a mobile game that has similarities with Pokemon Go.
According to the company's announcement, both games use real-world maps and a constant internet connection to place monsters in various places in real-time. Meanwhile, Monster Hunter Go comes with a Pokemon Go-like mechanic that lets players hit monsters with a paintball to do battle with at home or another location.
However, unlike in Pokemon Go, where players can see the Pokemon they're hunting in real-time using augmented reality (AR), Monster Hunter Now has players use their customized character to hunt and take down "the fiercest monsters in the world" without using AR.
Players could also call on their friends or other players to help them fight the monsters they find in the game, though they could also go at it alone if they so wish. Successfully hunting and taking down monsters nets players with various materials to craft better weapons and armor to equip their character with, allowing them to hunt more dangerous monsters, per The Verge.
Although monster fights in the console releases of Monster Hunter could take more than a few minutes to complete, Monster Hunter Now condenses fights players can initiate with monsters into 75-second battles. According to a statement from Sakae Osumi, senior producer at Niantic's Tokyo studio, the company wanted to make its combat element simple and intuitive but still challenging to master.
While Monster Hunter Now doesn't use AR while players fight monsters, it does use it for something else. According to the pictures posted by The Verge, the game utilizes AR for resource gathering, with the game displaying what the camera sees while showing the resources players have to gather.
Interested players who wish to participate in Monster Hunter Now's upcoming closed beta tests may do so by signing up at the game's official website.
Capcom's Plan With Monster Hunter Now
Monster Hunter Now allegedly represents Capcom's low-risk bet to grab a share of the global smartphone game market, according to Bloomberg.
A Newzoo report that the publication cited found that mobile games made up half of the game industry in 2022, outweighing console and PC games combined.
Hideki Yasuda, an analyst at Toyo Securities, mentioned that even a minor success in the mobile game market would have a significant impact on its overall earnings since its current smartphone revenue is small.
"Capcom's best bet is to license its IPs to a proven mobile game maker that can reach a global audience," Yasuda added.
