On the weekend of October 12th and 13th, 2024, the mobile game Monster Hunter Now celebrated its first major event. MeinMMO editor Sophia Weiß was on-site at the invitation of Niantic and even had the chance to ask some questions to the developers about the game.
The Monster Hunter Now Carnival in Tokyo’s Shibuya district was the first major event in Niantic’s newest AR mobile game. According to the organizers, 20,000 players gathered and wandered through the streets between five base camps.
MeinMMO editor Sophia Weiß was also present and participated in the Carnival. You can read her full report here: I walked through Tokyo with 20,000 players to get beaten by dragons in Monster Hunter Now
As part of the event, she was also able to ask a few developers of the game questions about the mobile game: Kei Kawai, Niantic’s Chief Product Officer, Sakae Osumi, the Senior Producer of Monster Hunter Now, and Genki Sunano, one of the producers of Capcom’s Monster Hunter series.
This is how the event went:
Gladly harder, but mother must be able to play too
The Monster Hunter series is known worldwide for its creative monster designs but primarily for its challenging battles. Niantic naturally wants to do justice to this with Monster Hunter Now.
However, producers Kei Kawai and Sakae Osumi have a very specific wish for their game:
It is our job that you can get better in the game without it being too complex. It can be simple and operated with a single finger while still having many exciting gameplay elements. I believe we would not introduce 5-finger controls or similar. It should be accessible to everyone while simultaneously being deep and complex for those who want to be really good at the game.
They think they have managed that quite well. As an example, Kawai cites his own mother:
My mother is 77 years old and has a lot of fun with the game. She’s not a big gamer, but she manages well. And not just because her son works on it (laughs). That makes us proud.
At the same time, the game should also appeal to people who have been gaming for 20 years. For them, the game should be crunchy
, while players like Kawai’s mother can equally have fun. The balance must be right.
However, Kawai also laughs that it is somewhat frustrating to watch his mom while she plays.
And Capcom simply said Yes
Even when it came to pitching the game, the three developers had to laugh. Similar to other games, things did not go exactly as planned.
Some context: Many companies in Japan value regulated processes. Pitches are delivered through extensive informational events and meetings. Younger companies do not insist on these learned processes as much anymore. Capcom, as a company founded in 1979, is likely still on the more traditional side.
Kei Kawai also shares that he and his team prepared for a long time for a meeting with Ryozo Tsujimoto (producer of the Monster Hunter universe). But then came the surprise:
We pitched and asked: “Do you want to make a Monster Hunter that takes place in the real world?” We sat down and talked for 10 minutes.
Then he said: “Let’s do it.” And he told me that there are many fans who want to play a game in the style of Niantic.
According to Kawai, he and his colleagues were surprised by that answer. His interest in such a project was apparently not known at Capcom. Getting a simple Yes
like that is not something to be taken for granted.
That was the shortest pitch that led to a “Yes.” At least in my career.
First comes the fun, then the money
Towards the end of the interview, things got serious again: The microtransactions in Monster Hunter Now were brought up.
Upon launch in September 2023, the game came completely without them. However, over the first year in the app stores, new possibilities were implemented with each update to purchase items with real money.
Similar to Pokémon GO, there is currently a store where items, bundles, and event tickets (like for the Carnival in Tokyo) can be purchased. Payments can be made with the earnable currency Zenny
or the premium currency Gems
that can be bought with real money. The ticket for the global version of the Carnival is even available for a specific Euro price in the shop.
The team explains that they run a business that should continue to exist, grow, and provide more content and events. They believe that many people are having fun with Monster Hunter Now and are engaged with the game.
Regarding why they are starting with microtransactions only now, they say:
You cannot start earning money and then think about the fun of the fans – it has to be the other way around.
We are also trying to find a way where a wide range of people invests a little, instead of a few paying a lot. I believe we are “healthier” in this respect than other games out there.
The feedback from the community is also important to them. Only in this way can the game exist in the long term and be sustainable.
If you want to give Niantic and the development team of Monster Hunter Now specific feedback about the game, you can do so in several ways: Niantic has set up a Japanese and English forum for the game. Alternatively, you can reach out through social media channels, including X.com, Instagram, or Facebook. Reviews in the Apple and Google Store are, of course, also open to you.
If you haven’t had enough nasty beasts in front of your shotgun after a good monster bashing in Monster Hunter Now and some feedback loop with the developers, you can soon test the next game in the series: Open Beta for Monster Hunter Wilds starts on PS5, Xbox, and Steam – All dates and content at a glance
