Summary
Right now,Monster Hunterfans everywhere are waiting for a new title to be announced.Monster Hunter Worldand itsIceborneexpansion have been complete for several years, and early in the summer of 2023,Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreakreached the same place. WhileMonster Hunter Nowjust launched for the mobile market, it isn’t the same as a new consoleMonster Huntertitle, which fans already suspect is in development.
In a quarterly earnings report, Capcom revealed that it plans to release an unannounced title by the end of March 2024, which is expected to sell millions across its lifetime. That date is approaching fast, and Capcom hasn’t announced anything yet which matches that description. SinceMonster Hunter WorldandRiseboth launched in the first three months of their respective years, many fans suspect that a newMHwill reprise the timeslot again. The current console generation itself is quickly nearing its halfway mark, and it would be a shame forMonster Hunterto miss out on a native PS5 and Xbox Series title.
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Modern Consoles Are Ideal For A Bigger and Better Monster Hunter
Although there technically are versions ofMonster Hunter Riseavailable for PS5 and Xbox Series, they came about as a consequence of the game ending its Nintendo Switch exclusivity. The PS4 and Xbox One were more than strong enough to run it, just as they are forMonster Hunter World. AMonster Huntertitle pushing the series' ambitions forwardon modern hardware hasn’t been released yet, but it should at some point. As the PS5 and Xbox Series enter their third year of life, launching aMonster Huntertitle that can receive support for the rest of the console generation would be the best move possible.
The versatility of the RE Engine means that work done forMonster Hunter Riseshould carry forward into futureMonster Huntertitles, expanding their potential content. Even though a hypotheticalMonster Hunter World 2would be built on that engine instead of the originalWorld’s MT Framework, it may still end up with more monsters and areas thanWorldhad at launch. Few new mechanics will benecessary to justify anMH World 2, as the power of the PS5 and Xbox Series combined with RE Engine should ensure it accomplishes everything it set out to do.
A New Monster Hunter Should Launch Soon
The only things left are when the nextMonster Huntertitle is revealed, and what it’s going to be. Either Tokyo Game Show or The Game Awards are good stages to unveil something as large as a newMonster Huntertitle.Monster Hunter World 2is the obvious choicefor the game’s identity, as the subtitle has strong recognition already and reflects the current globalized era ofMonster Hunterreleases. It also signifies an effort to target the best available hardware likeWorld 1did, with more flexible PC and potentially Nintendo Switch 2 ports coming later.
The next majorMonster Huntergame doesn’t need to be part of theWorldline, but it needs to make its nature as the next main title for the series clear. As good asMonster Hunter Risewas, it didn’thit quite as hard asMonster Hunter World, and Capcom needs to keep the franchise’s momentum up for it to keep expanding its player base. Regardless of what Capcom chooses to do, the announcement of the nextMonster Huntershould be coming soon, and hopefully it takes the latest console generation by storm.
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