Support NeoGAF

[Lelou]

I'm not reading through a 25 page thread lol. A quick summary like the one you just provided covers it though.

-It won't alienate the Japanese base because they are not giving up on the Japanese market. The goal is to expand west, not cut off what they already have.
-The contract is bull. I also think if Switch doesn't get this new MH, it will get a MH of its own down the road.
-I don't know what that last part means.

Well, a mainline game on a different console WOULD alienate the japanese market for sure.
It was a different story if it was only a spinoff mh on ps4.

 

[Oersted]

I'm not reading through a 25 page thread lol. A quick summary like the one you just provided covers it though.

-It won't alienate the Japanese base because they are not giving up on the Japanese market. The goal is to expand west, not cut off what they already have.
-The contract is bull. I also think if Switch doesn't get this new MH, it will get a MH of its own down the road.
-I don't know what that last part means.

-And how would what the rumor says not cut off Japan?
- Yes, the rumor this thread is based on is bull.
- Not particularly surprised. Local coop made Monster Hunter big.

Well, a mainline game on a different console WOULD alienate the japanese market for sure.
It was a different story if it was only a spinoff mh on ps4.

Not just a different console. PS4 is home console only.

 

[GoldenCrow]

I made the argument multiple times troughout this thread. You only would need to read . It would alienate a big chunk of their japanese base, which is still the mainmarket. Guaranteeing by contract to avoid Switch harms options if it doesn't take off on PS4. PS4 does not offer what MH made so popular.

Why would the potential of this rumour being true alienate the Japanese market? The Switch is a new console with a developing fan base. Monster Hunter is a franchise that started out on the Playstation platform and where the fan base initially developed and then progressed on the 3DS (not the Switch), the main games only being exclusive to Nintendo since around 2012 with spin-offs still appearing on most platforms in Japan. The only thing it could potentially hurt are sales the Switch might have got from having Monster Hunter as a new mainline game exclusive to the system.

 

[Kyoufu]

The install base argument doesn't really seem convincing to me. MH4U on the 3DS handily outsold MH Tri in the west (and in general), which had a much, much larger potential userbase.

Of course it did. Nobody knew what MH was here when MH Tri launched. It sold pretty well all things considered and gained a fanbase for MH4U to sell better.

If you look back, the PSP games either shipped in the west without online play or weren't even localised here at all. The series was limp here until Nintendo marketed Tri.

 

[wildfire]

The install base argument doesn't really seem convincing to me. MH4U on the 3DS handily outsold MH Tri in the west (and in general), which had a much, much larger potential userbase.

Exactly. It's why Sony trying to make MH5 not available on the Switch sensible because the 3DS is top dog in Japan and it's hard to imagine the Switch would do worse in Japan.

They don't want their game seen as the inferior one which a console version would be even with better graphics.

 

[Oregano]

That timeline is just Japan so I left out the rest.

If we're to include the western shenanigans then the whole Nintendo deal makes a lot more sense.

And in turn, MH5 on PS4 would make sense if their goal is the same: growth overseas.

Sure but that kind of ignores that the 3DS was the successor to the DS. The most successful system in Japan, which wasn't powerful enough to support the franchise. It made sense from both a domestic and international point of view to support 3DS, though I'm sure they had incentives to do so exclusively.

 

[Oersted]

Why would the potential of this rumour being true alienate the Japanese market? The Switch is a new console with a developing fan base. Monster Hunter is a franchise that started out on the Playstation platform and where the fan base initially developed and then progressed on the 3DS (not the Switch), the main games only been exclusive to Nintendo since around 2012 with spin-offs still appearing on most platforms in Japan. The only thing it could potentially hurt are sales the Switch might have got from having Monster Hunter as a new mainline game exclusive to the system.

Monster Hunter got big as a portable with local coop.

PS4 is not portable and does not offer local coop like a portable.

SWitch is portable and offers local coop to a unprecedented extent.


So hard to get?

 

[Psycho_Mantis]

Luckily the US isn't all of the west?

Both MH4U and Persona 5 have shipped around a million in the west. Persona 5 might have better legs but that remains to be seen.

Monster Hunter is really popular in Germany BTW.

Persona 5 initial shipment was quickly sold out in much of EU and you compared LTD vs first month lol

But Switch is a home console. There would be no benefit to consumers outside better graphics on PS4.

Graphical fidelity is pretty much the entire reason people want a PS4 MH lol

There are also other clear benefits, like larger fields, swarms of enemies, better looking designs, better animations, systems like weather and better multiplayer.

You got to lying to yourself if all the above does not sound enticing.

 

[Oregano]

Persona 5 initial shipment was quickly sold out in much of EU and you compared LTD vs first month lol



Graphical fidelity is pretty much the entire reason people want a PS4 MH lol

There are also other clear benefits, like larger fields, swarms of enemies, better looking designs, better animations, systems like weather and better multiplayer.

You got to lying to yourself if all the above does not sound enticing.

Monster Hunter 4 shipped a million in the West quite soon after launch IIRC.

Also eww @ the bolded and lol @ better animations. Edit: Oh and lol as if Switch can't do a weather system considering Breath of the Wild.

 

[BigEmil]

Persona 5 initial shipment was quickly sold out in much of EU and you compared LTD vs first month lol



Graphical fidelity is pretty much the entire reason people want a PS4 MH lol

There are also other clear benefits, like larger fields, swarms of enemies, better looking designs, better animations, systems like weather and better multiplayer.

You got to lying to yourself if all the above does not sound enticing.

Would be nice to go all out finally

 

[Oersted]

Persona 5 initial shipment was quickly sold out in much of EU and you compared LTD vs first month lol



Graphical fidelity is pretty much the entire reason people want a PS4 MH lol

There are also other clear benefits, like larger fields, swarms of enemies, better looking designs, better animations, systems like weather and better multiplayer.

You got to lying to yourself if all the above does not sound enticing.

Monster Hunter was on PS2(weakest of the 3), had its most successful home console entry on Wii(weakest again), took off on PSP(weaker than home consoles) and is big on 3DS(weakest).

And hell, portbeggers like you wanted it on Vita, which is obviously weaker and less relevant than PS3.

 

[NormalFish]

Graphical fidelity is pretty much the entire reason people want a PS4 MH lol

There are also other clear benefits, like larger fields, swarms of enemies, better looking designs, better animations, systems like weather and better multiplayer.

You got to lying to yourself if all the above does not sound enticing.

I wish I was optimistic enough to believe monster hunter will ever be a pretty game by home console standards.

 

[timberger]

So much for 'calmly' I guess. lol.

Monster Hunter 4 shipped a million in the West quite soon after launch IIRC.

A few months after launch, sure. Persona 5 shipped more within it's first couple of days of release, and still sold out everywhere as far as I can tell.

 

[Lelou]

I wish I was optimistic enough to believe monster hunter will ever be a pretty game by home console standards.

People that belive that it will have huge improvments are just blind or didn't play the last 10 years games of mh line (even the pc/mobile ones)

 

[ShockingAlberto]

Wait, Switch can't do weather?

 

[KHlover]

Wait, Switch can't do weather?

Also no bigger areas, better animations and monster variety apparently. This just in, Switch is just a new3DS+ lol.

 

[rhandino]

Wait, Switch can't do weather?

I cant also do bigger fields and better animations.

 

[Fiendcode]

Persona 5 initial shipment was quickly sold out in much of EU and you compared LTD vs first month lol

Persona 5 shipped ~950k outside Japan upfront, MH4U shipped over 1m in 2 months. It's ltd is 1.5m in the west.

 

[GoldenCrow]

Monster Hunter got big as a portable with local coop.

PS4 is not portable and does offer local coop like a portable.

SWitch is portable and offers local coop to a unprecedented extent.


So hard to get?

Not at all but none of that means a Monster Hunter exclusive on the PS4 would alienate the Japanese fan base. Especially when you have XX coming out and looks specifically to target everything you mentioned.

 

[Eolz]

Graphical fidelity is pretty much the entire reason people want a PS4 MH lol

There are also other clear benefits, like larger fields, swarms of enemies, better looking designs, better animations, systems like weather and better multiplayer.

You got to lying to yourself if all the above does not sound enticing.

All of those things could be done on Switch though, considering the jump from 3DS.
Why would you want swarms of enemies, or "larger" fields (depending on how much obviously) in a MH game though? Do you play it?
Multiplayer is a design choice rather than an hardware issue, same for some other features as said before, like people saying it shouldn't have closed areas anymore, or a weather system, etc.

There's a difference in "this sounds enticing" between the core fanbase and people that never got in the game, which this rumor really points out.

 

[MatrixMan.EXE]

You make it seem like this was Capcom's idea, when the rumor makes it seem like Sony came to Capcom. Are we to believe Capcom would cut themselves out of platforms, especially their most lucrative IP on its best platform? Capcom would definitely hit up Nintendo if this "experiment" was their idea, it's why MH Stories exists.

They're not cutting themselves out of platforms. The rumour clearly states that there is still a MH game planned for Switch. Them "hitting up" Nintendo isn't a guarantee when they've stated that platform is the issue when it comes to growth in the west. Why would they hit up Nintendo, the company behind the platform that they feel is limiting their growth potential overseas?

Okay but the still less risky move is to make MH5, streamline where it makes sense without diverging from the core of the series and release it multiplatform. That will always make sense to me.

That's what I'm saying though lol The PS4 exclusive part I don't believe for a second, so I suspect we'll get a multiplatform game for the HD twins etc + a continuation of the traditional formula on the Switch. If the "HD" game bombs, then so be it, they then fall back on the the status quo set by PSP, 3DS and now continuing on Switch. It's a big risk, but it's one I feel they need to take. The series is stagnant. Something must be done, regardless of what may be deemed by some as "safer".

 

[Parshias7]

Graphical fidelity is pretty much the entire reason people want a PS4 MH lol

There are also other clear benefits, like larger fields, swarms of enemies, better looking designs, better animations, systems like weather and better multiplayer.

You got to lying to yourself if all the above does not sound enticing.

Have you even played a Monster Hunter game? I suppose we can't have a Monster Hunter thread without someone rolling up with the classic, "Hey I really like Monster Hunter but what I really want is them to change everything about it, kthxbye."

Why are we even talking about Persona 5 sales in here? If Capcom's goal to "expand the series in the West" is to sell 1.5 million instead of 1 million then they shouldn't even fucking bother.

 

[Calm Mind]

The last crazy will fight to the inevitability to the bitter end. Weather...

 

[jeremy1456]

This timeline is also missing Tri doing quite well in the west and the whole P3rdHD debacle.

It's also missing how there wasn't much hype for Vita in Japan, and how they didn't 'show how great MH works
With two joysticks' they showed how great MHP3 works with two joysticks. Big difference because it was A demonstration of the system's backwards compatibility features instead of 'oh see how great Monster Hunter will be on Vita?' As you seem to suggest they announced.

 

[rhandino]

Have you even played a Monster Hunter game? I suppose we can't have a Monster Hunter thread without someone rolling up with the classic, "Hey I really like Monster Hunter but what I really want is them to change everything about it, kthxbye."

People like the concept of Monster Hunter but they don't like to actually play Monster Hunter.

 

[Lelou]

People that say that the user base is stagnant clearly never seen the number of the last tree games in the west then (3-4 And generation)

 

[Oregano]

They're not cutting themselves out of platforms. The rumour clearly states that there is still a MH game planned for Switch. Them "hitting up" Nintendo isn't a guarantee when they've stated that platform is the issue when it comes to growth in the west. Why would they hit up Nintendo, the company behind the platform that they feel is limiting their growth potential overseas?



That's what I'm saying though lol The PS4 exclusive part I don't believe for a second, so I suspect we'll get a multiplatform game for the HD twins etc + a continuation of the traditional formula on the Switch. If the "HD" game bombs, then so be it, they then fall back on the the status quo set by PSP, 3DS and now continuing on Switch. It's a big risk, but it's one I feel they need to take. The series is stagnant. Something must be done, regardless of what may be deemed by some as "safer".

When is the last time Capcom took an actual risk?

Resident Evil 7 is a departure but most importantly it was a much lower budget game with much lower expectations.

What this rumour suggests is the exact opposite.

Edit: Also Capcom specified it was handhelds not being as popular that was holding it back, not being on a Nintendo platform. That's a mischaracterization.

 

[Passose]

When is the last time Capcom took an actual risk?

Resident Evil 7 is a departure but most importantly it was a much lower budget game with much lower expectations.

What this rumour suggests is the exact opposite.

Edit: Also Capcom specified it was handhelds not being as popular that was holding it back, not being on a Nintendo platform. That's a mischaracterization.

I know this sounds dumb but what if Capcom actually have faith on th Switch all along and the comment that guy made was simply about moving the series to the switch, which is marketed as home console

 

[Oregano]

I know this sounds dumb but what if Capcom actually have faith on th Switch all along and the comment that guy made was simply about moving the series to the switch, which is marketed as home console

That is a definite possibility. I do think it's likely they were referring to the other consoles, especially PS4, though.

 

[rhandino]

People that say that the user base is stagnant clearly never seen the number of the last tree games in the west then (3-4 And generation)

There is a bigger potential of sales on home consoles than in handhelds in the west.

Like... let's be honest for a second. If CAPCOM manages to pull this one off they are going to make MonHun BIG by having a massive seller in the west (PS4, PC) and still retaining their home market (Switch)

The only problem I can see is a combination of hardcore fans ignoring the entry because they are still going to get a traditional game elsewhere and that the casual don't pick up the slack.

 

[Lelou]

There is a bigger potential of sales on home consoles than in handhelds in the west.

Like... let's be honest for a second. If CAPCOM manages to pull this one off they are going to make MonHun BIG by having a massive seller in the west (PS4, PC) and still retaining their home market (Switch)

The only problem I can see is a combination of hardcore fans ignoring the entry because they are still going to get a traditional game elsewhere and that the casual don't pick up the slack.

Yes but in this way they will probably lose the only big supporter they had on western release on past.
Capcom didn't even care on past to release mh on West, it happen only because on Nintendo and them support and localization..

 

[Parshias7]

There is a bigger potential of sales on home consoles than in handhelds in the west.

Like... let's be honest for a second. If CAPCOM manages to pull this one off they are going to make MonHun BIG by having a massive seller in the west (PS4, PC) and still retaining their home market (Switch)

The only problem I can see is a combination of hardcore fans ignoring the entry because they are still going to get a traditional game elsewhere and that the casual don't pick up the slack.

The thing with this rumor that sounds like bullshit to me is why Capcom would feel the need to make two separate games. Why have "The Monster Hunter that sells well in Japan and OK in the West" and "The Monster Hunter that sells OK in Japan and (maybe) well in the West" when you can potentially have "The Monster Hunter that sells well in Japan AND the West."

Like if Capcom decided to make Monster Hunter 5 for both Switch and PS4 with further streamlining like they've been working into the series then that would make sense. They'd keep the portable audience in Japan while having an opportunity to expand on consoles in the West. But two separate games? Sounds screwy.

 

[MatrixMan.EXE]

I greatly accept this statment, more than the ones seen before.
But why change a game, risking the whole brand and changing all the CORE mechanincs, putting a 5 on the end of it, when you can make just a new game ?

I don't get it.
How like mh already buy mh on west.
How don't know about it, probably don't care about his name.

Even if they wanted to keep the name for a matter of "popularity", they could put it as a spinoff, making all the moves less risky..

I hadn't seen this. Again, if Capcom are going to change all of the mechanics then I would agree. But I honestly don't think they will. This rumour to me speaks to something that is partly true, but also greatly exaggerated and twisted by the person who posted it.

When is the last time Capcom took an actual risk?

Resident Evil 7 is a departure but most importantly it was a much lower budget game with much lower expectations.

What this rumour suggests is the exact opposite.

Edit: Also Capcom specified it was handhelds not being as popular that was holding it back, not being on a Nintendo platform. That's a mischaracterization.

Not saying that Nintendo platforms were holding it bac. But this goes back to my interpretation of that statement. As far as I'm concerned, they clearly weren't talking about Switch when they said what they said. The system wasn't out yet and it's success in the overseas market or any market for that matter was yet to be determined. Taking that into account, I think it's quite obvious they were talking about platforms that were already out in the wild, especially if we consider that the game may have been development for a while already.

 

[Oregano]

I hadn't seen this. Again, if Capcom are going to change all of the mechanics then I would agree. But I honestly don't think they will. This rumour to me speaks to something that is partly true, but also greatly exaggerated and twisted by the person who posted it.

If they're not changing the mechanics then making two separate games seems even more pointless.

 

[marmoka]

Can't we just have the same game in both consoles and stop discussing about weather?

 

[Passose]

That is a definite possibility. I do think it's likely they were referring to the other consoles, especially PS4, though.

I mean come on, they didn't make it clear maybe because they wanted to sell XX on the 3ds. And look at what's happening, if they planned on releasing the game on the ps4 then why isn't it receiving the port of XX also? They should have tested the water on the ps4 with it first, right? And hell, MHXX receiving a special editon and a limited console, it actually proved that they planned for the port from a long time ago, not just deciding to port the game after seeing the success of the switch. But there is still a high chance of MH5 being released on the ps4 though

 

[rhandino]

The thing with this rumor that sounds like bullshit to me is why Capcom would feel the need to make two separate games. Why have "The Monster Hunter that sells well in Japan and OK in the West" and "The Monster Hunter that sells OK in Japan and (maybe) well in the West" when you can potentially have "The Monster Hunter that sells well in Japan AND the West."

Like if Capcom decided to make Monster Hunter 5 for both Switch and PS4 with further streamlining like they've been working into the series then that would make sense. They'd keep the portable audience in Japan while having an opportunity to expand on consoles in the West. But two separate games? Sounds screwy.

For me at least it feels real because with 2 entries you can make one more fit to current gaming trends and implement a BUNCH of stuff that people has been asking of the series (No preparation, not tedious collection missions, open world) and they still have a safety net in the form of a traditional entry so they don't lose their grip on older fans that love the series for what it is.

As I said before there is a lot of people that love the concept behind Monster Hunter but the actual games are really not THAT easy to get into and have a lot of things that we long time fans love but people outside feels like padding or filler or just plain nonsense (why are the areas in a zone separated with load screens!? Why is this not open world!!!???)

They should have tested the water on the ps4 with it first, right?

If the rumored game is very different to previous entries in the franchise then a port of XX is worthless tbh

As I said before I bet you all that the game is not going to be named 5 and instead is going to be a subtitle or something.

Spoiler

Monster Hunter Xtreme!!!

 

[rhandino]

DP

 

[Kinsei]

There is a bigger potential of sales on home consoles than in handhelds in the west.

Like... let's be honest for a second. If CAPCOM manages to pull this one off they are going to make MonHun BIG by having a massive seller in the west (PS4, PC) and still retaining their home market (Switch)

The only problem I can see is a combination of hardcore fans ignoring the entry because they are still going to get a traditional game elsewhere and that the casual don't pick up the slack.

I think that's the most likely outcome. Look at what happened with games like Mirror's Edge Catalyst, Federation Force, and Dead Rising 4.

 

[WhiskerFrisker]

For me at least it feels real because with 2 entries you can make one more fit to current gaming trends and implement a BUNCH of stuff that people has been asking of the series (No preparation, not tedious collection missions, open world) and they still have a safety net in the form of a traditional entry so they don't lose their grip on older fans that love the series for what it is.

As I said before there is a lot of people that love the concept behind Monster Hunter but the actual games are really not THAT easy to get into and have a lot of things that we long time fans love but people outside feels like padding or filler or just plain nonsense (why are the areas in a zone separated with load screens!? Why is this not open world!!!???)

I understand what you're saying, but it Capcom even capable of making two Monster Hunters concurrently with good quality?

 

[F31 Leopard]

Toukiden 2. You can make an open world game that still contains arenas.

I only played the 1st Toukiden. Never played 2. Is it a free open world like BotW/Witcher or free flowing sections like Demon's/Dark Souls? And Is it just one map?

 

[atr0cious]

I mean come on, they didn't make it clear maybe because they wanted to sell XX on the 3ds. And look at what's happening, if they planned on releasing the game on the ps4 then why isn't it receiving the port of XX also? They should have tested the water on the ps4 with it first, right? And hell, MHXX receiving a special editon and a limited console, it actually proved that they planned for the port from a long time ago, not just deciding to port the game after seeing the success of the switch. But there is still a high chance of MH5 being released on the ps4 though

I think this right here is why the rumor makes no sense. The mh switch bundle has been in the works, and even when MHX was first getting ready to release, someone from the dev team was cagey about it being on switch and was like, "please buy on 3ds." There's no way Sony is stupid enough to allow Nintendo to parade as the current MH platform if this deal was in place. It makes the ps4 look like an afterthought, regardless of what they plan to call it, with the way Nintendo is embracing XX; or do people think there's a MHPS4 bundle in the works?

 

[Mory Dunz]

edit

 

[Akainu]

MH3rd is still the best selling Monster Hunter to date?

 

[FingerBang]

Not at all but none of that means a Monster Hunter exclusive on the PS4 would alienate the Japanese fan base. Especially when you have XX coming out and looks specifically to target everything you mentioned.

I talked to a friend of mine yesterday (Japanese, gamer, working for a gaming company). We were discussing this rumor and he said Monster Hunter fans would simply buy a PS4 to play the new game. The brand moved from PS2 to PSP to 3DS after all.

I don't see it "alienating the fan base", it would probably boost the sale of the PS4.

People like the concept of Monster Hunter but they don't like to actually play Monster Hunter.

Yep The idea is great, the 2002 feeling of the game not so much (technically still in the 128 bit generation). Looking forward to a next gen MH.

 

[Kinsei]

I talked to a friend of mine yesterday (Japanese, gamer, working for a gaming company). We were discussing this rumor and he said Monster Hunter fans would simply buy a PS4 to play the new game. The brand moved from PS2 to PSP to 3DS after all.

I don't see it "alienating the fan base", it would probably boost the sale of the PS4.

If that was the case them MH3 for the Wii would have sold much better than it did.

 

[Ridley327]

MH3rd is still the best selling Monster Hunter to date?

Yeah, it sold close to 5 million copies. That made it the best selling PSP game of all time, which is pretty crazy considering it came out in just Japan.

 

[WhiskerFrisker]

I talked to a friend of mine yesterday (Japanese, gamer, working for a gaming company). We were discussing this rumor and he said Monster Hunter fans would simply buy a PS4 to play the new game. The brand moved from PS2 to PSP to 3DS after all.

I don't see it "alienating the fan base", it would probably boost the sale of the PS4.



Yep The idea is great, the 2002 feeling of the game not so much (technically still in the 128 bit generation). Looking forward to a next gen MH.

Seems difficult to understand what the Japanese will do based on one person.

 

[rhandino]

Toukiden 2 only merit is that it served as an example for CAPCOM of everything that could go wrong when you convert an extremely successful handheld IP into a home console focused entry while paying dust to the original fans that put you on the map in the first place.

I understand what you're saying, but it Capcom even capable of making two Monster Hunters concurrently with good quality?

That's my biggest concern tbh

Idk... I am hoping for the best =3

Spoiler

But this is CAPCOM so lolololol

I talked to a friend of mine yesterday (Japanese, gamer, working for a gaming company). We were discussing this rumor and he said Monster Hunter fans would simply buy a PS4 to play the new game. The brand moved from PS2 to PSP to 3DS after all.

1) The games got popular on PSP. While the original fans most certainly moved from PS2 to PSP your friends is ingoring the fact that the games got BIG into the new console because a laundry list of different factors (easy to play local coop with your friends, handhelds fitted more Japan lyfestyle, etc...)

2) The move from PSP to 3DS makes sense since the 3DS was still a handheld, was on their first year and was also going to be much cheaper than the competition.

3) If people are willing to buy home consoles to play MonHun while Tri didn't sell as well as the Portable entries?

 

[Passose]

Yeah, it sold close to 5 million copies. That made it the best selling PSP game of all time, which is pretty crazy considering it came out in just Japan.

imagine the sales of it on the original nds if it was strong enough. But then again, it was too perfect for this world and Nintendo was too proud of themselves to make a stronger machine