• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Capcom cuts profit forecast by 50%, due to mobile and monster hunter frontier

Boss★Moogle;106397642 said:
They should make a deal with Sony for Monster Hunter 5 exclusivity on the Vita. Capcom will get a big check from Sony and Sony will sell a ton of Vitas. It's win-win.

sigh...
Don't know if serious...
If so,... Sigh...
 

wrowa

Member
It might be helpful if MH Frontier was actually a good game. I'm surprised they apparently expected it to contribute significantly to their profits, despite it being a game that most of the fanbase simply don't like.

Monster Hunter Frontier should be in the thread title - MH4 performed way above expectations and its one of the reasons its not looking even worse.

But that's the joke.
 
Boss★Moogle;106397642 said:
They should make a deal with Sony for Monster Hunter 5 exclusivity on the Vita. Capcom will get a big check from Sony and Sony will sell a ton of Vitas. It's win-win.

Capcom would go straight to bankruptcy because

1) It won't sell enough to make a profit if exclusive
2) Sony won't have enough money to moneyhat

What Capcom should do is use Panta Rhei to make a new MH and put it on every current gen hardware (PS4/PSV/Xbone/PC). Make it subscription-based or something if they want re-occurring income but at least make it good and have proper online infrastructure. And for fuck sake don't make it Japan exclusive. There are millions of fans outside Japan wanting to play their games.
 
So they put all their eggs in the mobile basket and they got the harsh realisation that the only mobile games that make significant bank are the fads (i.e. Candy Crush, Flappy Bird, etc.).

Making a mobile game doesn't mean you're going to make billions.

It's true enough. Just because certain companies make bank doesn't mean every company will. Way past time people realise this.
 
Boss★Moogle;106397642 said:
They should make a deal with Sony for Monster Hunter 5 exclusivity on the Vita. Capcom will get a big check from Sony and Sony will sell a ton of Vitas. It's win-win.

Capcom has nothing to gain from that.
 

Wynnebeck

Banned
That monster hunter from the thread is going to cause a lot of confusion and of course port "suggestions".

Can't be letting those filthy poors think they ever have a shot of playing another glorious MH title ever again on a non-Nintendo platform. What do they think this is? The 00s!?
 

SmokyDave

Member
It's true enough. Just because certain companies make bank doesn't mean every company will. Way past time people realise this.

I think everybody realises that there are no platforms that guarantee sure fire success. Not mobile, console, handheld or PC. Feels like people are shadow boxing with that one.

As an aside, it seems they're sinking their pennies into R&D at the moment. This adjustment hasn't been caused by a series of 'failed' mobile games.
 
Boss★Moogle;106397642 said:
They should make a deal with Sony for Monster Hunter 5 exclusivity on the Vita. Capcom will get a big check from Sony and Sony will sell a ton of Vitas. It's win-win.
Welp... that didn't take long at all.
 

Metallix87

Member
Uhm... in order to gain some money?

How exactly would that gain them money? Putting a Monster Hunter game on a Sony platform would cost them money, and divide up the fanbase, which would only lead to bad times. 3DS is cheaper and safer in terms of investment, and the fan base is already settled on that platform.

As for a Microsoft platform, are you serious?

There is no money to be made with going multiplatform for this type of game.
 

Jawmuncher

Member
Wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if we ended up seeing Konami and Capcom merge game wise. Hell it would mean i'm ever so much closer to Resident Evil X Metal Gear.
 

SmokyDave

Member
How exactly would that gain them money? Putting a Monster Hunter game on a Sony platform would cost them money, and divide up the fanbase, which would only lead to bad times. 3DS is cheaper and safer in terms of investment, and the fan base is already settled on that platform.

As for a Microsoft platform, are you serious?

There is no money to be made with going multiplatform for this type of game.
This argument never fails to make my mind boggle. I just can't wrap my head around the idea that this one franchise cannot go multiplatform, because gamers would become so confused that they'd be unable to pair up, online or offline.

Note: I'm not saying you're not right, just that the Monster Hunter audience are bizarrely rigid in their refusal to understand how multiplat co-op works.
 

kswiston

Member
Uh... isn't mobile development in Japan making money hand over fist right now?

How did Capcom screw that up?

The Market looks huge, but it reality, a handful of mobile games are making most of that money. The Smart phone industry was worth ~$5.5B last year in Japan, but close to 20% of that was just Puzzle and Dragons.

This argument never fails to make my mind boggle. I just can't wrap my head around the idea that this one franchise cannot go multiplatform, because gamers would become so confused that they'd be unable to pair up, online or offline.

Note: I'm not saying you're not right, just that the Monster Hunter audience are bizarrely rigid in their refusal to understand how multiplat co-op works.

Considering the fact that the late PS3 and Wii U ports of Monster Hunter 3/3G did pretty well, I think that it is a bogus argument.
 

Metallix87

Member
This argument never fails to make my mind boggle. I just can't wrap my head around the idea that this one franchise cannot go multiplatform, because gamers would become so confused that they'd be unable to pair up, online or offline.

Note: I'm not saying you're not right, just that the Monster Hunter audience are bizarrely rigid in their refusal to understand how multiplat co-op works.

You're saying that like multiplat co-op would be a guarantee.

Considering the fact that the late PS3 and Wii U ports of Monster Hunter 3/3G did pretty well, I think that it is a bogus argument.

Please provide some numbers. I'd like some clarification on what "pretty well" means to you.
 

Jigorath

Banned
How exactly would that gain them money? Putting a Monster Hunter game on a Sony platform would cost them money, and divide up the fanbase, which would only lead to bad times. 3DS is cheaper and safer in terms of investment, and the fan base is already settled on that platform.

As for a Microsoft platform, are you serious?

There is no money to be made with going multiplatform for this type of game.

How do you know that? Why wouldn't a multiplatform Monster Hunter make more money than an exclusive?
 

2+2=5

The Amiga Brotherhood
How exactly would that gain them money? Putting a Monster Hunter game on a Sony platform would cost them money, and divide up the fanbase, which would only lead to bad times. 3DS is cheaper and safer in terms of investment, and the fan base is already settled on that platform.

As for a Microsoft platform, are you serious?

There is no money to be made with going multiplatform for this type of game.

I'm totally not a fan of Monster Hunter so i assure you that i'm not port begging, but that's not how multiplatform games work...
Splitting their fanbase? Capcom had no problem shifting from PSP to 3DS and it's not like that if they make MH on PS3/4/Vita too they lose the 3ds fanbase.
1 game, multiple console bases, when you need money multiplatform on the right consoles is the solution imo.
 
Sell Mega Man rights to Inafune, Resident evil rights to Mikami, Dmc to Platinum and so on, and die you monster, die already.
 

SmokyDave

Member
You're saying that like multiplat co-op would be a guarantee.

I don't mean cross platform. I just mean playing with people that have the same version as you. For some reason with MonHun, if players can't play with everyone, it seems they won't play with anyone. It's fucking weird.
 

Metallix87

Member
How do you know that? Why wouldn't a multiplatform Monster Hunter make more money than an exclusive?

The fan base is locked at around 4 million to 5 million, and it migrates from one primary Monster Hunter handheld to another, it seems. If they put one on Vita, the sales would likely be equal to or less than Monster Hunter 3G sales on 3DS as opposed to Monster Hunter 4 sales. Why do that when that same game can be on 3DS, re-use existing assets, and sell for 4 million or more?

I'm totally not a fan of Monster Hunter so i assure you that i'm not port begging, but that's not how multiplatform games work...
Splitting their fanbase? Capcom had no problem shifting from PSP to 3DS and it's not like that if they make MH on PS3/4/Vita too they lose the 3ds fanbase.
1 game, multiple console bases, when you need money multiplatform on the right consoles is the solution imo.

Two factors:

1.) You're describing a shift, not a multiplatform release. PSP was on the way out, and Capcom chose the 3DS to carry the franchise forward, most likely because they could re-use many assets to cut costs.

2.) The fan base is locked. How many people are there in Japan that don't own a 3DS but are fans of Monster Hunter? Unless it's a sizable number, there's no reason to do it.
 
How do you know that? Why wouldn't a multiplatform Monster Hunter make more money than an exclusive?

80 mil 360s and 80 mil ps3s sold, majority in the west and the west is were MH needs to target if they want more revenue, thats a huge target audience not to attempt to sell to just because. Then next gen sales are going extremely well on both platforms so theres sizeable audience there too and growing, again mostly western).
 

cw_sasuke

If all DLC came tied to $13 figurines, I'd consider all DLC to be free
I'm totally not a fan of Monster Hunter so i assure you that i'm not port begging, but that's not how multiplatform games work...
Splitting their fanbase? Capcom had no problem shifting from PSP to 3DS and it's not like that if they make MH on PS3/4/Vita too they lose the 3ds fanbase.
1 game, multiple console bases, when you need money multiplatform on the right consoles is the solution imo.

How many multiplattform titles you know that sold more than 1 million units in Japan ?
 

Currygan

at last, for christ's sake
could at least have added Frontier to the title, a lot of people are going to post nonsensical crap like "bring it to Vita" like that's gonna help
 
80 mil 360s and 80 mil ps3s sold, majority in the west and the west is were MH needs to target if they want more revenue, thats a huge target audience not to attempt to sell to just because. Then next gen sales are going extremely well on both platforms so theres sizeable audience there too and growing, again mostly western).

A console Monster Hunter would cost a lot of money, and when it inevitably failed it would cost Capcom a whole lot. The risk is not worth it.
 

Metallix87

Member
80 mil 360s and 80 mil ps3s sold, majority in the west and the west is were MH needs to target if they want more revenue, thats a huge target audience not to attempt to sell to just because. Then next gen sales are going extremely well on both platforms so theres sizeable audience there too and growing, again mostly western).

I don't think much can be done about the West with this franchise, honestly. Nintendo marketed the Wii game pretty hard, and it did pretty well, but that's the best that one can hope for, methinks. It's destined for relative niche status here.

PS3 version did over 400k. Wii U version did over 200k. Ya, the originals on handhelds did 10x that, but we are talking about late ports.

That's not enough to justify console expansion, sorry.
 
A console Monster Hunter would cost a lot of money, and when it inevitably failed it would cost Capcom a whole lot. The risk is not worth it.

theres no way to know if it would fail, and considering the sheer audience size on PS3/360/XO/PS4 thats a HUGE potential target audience to not even attempt to get.
 

Metallix87

Member
theres no way to know if it would fail, and considering the sheer audience size on PS3/360/XO/PS4 thats a HUGE potential target audience to not even attempt to get.

The 3DS audience is much larger, and the Monster Hunter fan base is already on it. Why spend all that money on a risk when they can just make another 3DS game and sell 4 - 5 million copies?
 

Xater

Member
The continued existence of MHF is baffling to me. (Especially in its current form)

I don't even know why anyone would play that game over MH4.
 

Wynnebeck

Banned
That's not enough to justify console expansion, sorry.

Not off the bat no, however, as this generation goes on and Capcom watches how the drama unfolds between PS4 and Xbone, they are going to have no choice but to react to those platforms lest they leave money on the table and stick to their stubborn ways in mobile. I know the word "spend" is a curse to Capcom, but using this new generation to make another attempt at console relevancy for MH would be a boon for them. Shiny graphics, MH4 style gameplay on new generation hardware? Shit would sell like hotcakes. Of course, this is assuming Capcom even wants to make money.
 
The 3DS audience is much larger, and the Monster Hunter fan base is already on it. Why spend all that money on a risk when they can just make another 3DS game and sell 4 - 5 million copies?

because like I said, the sheer number of western gamers with consoles massively outnumbers the total number of 3DS sold, thats worth it alone. Yeah it could fail but given the potential its a risk worth taking as if a console MH (i'm going to assume multiplat, succceds) thats a huge windfall for them. And the console version would launch in Japan too so some sales there.
 

MightyKAC

Member
2.) The fan base is locked. How many people are there in Japan that don't own a 3DS but are fans of Monster Hunter? Unless it's a sizable number, there's no reason to do it.

Is 450,000 a sizable enough number because that's how much Toukiden sold in Japan. And I'll go out on a limb here and say that at LEAST that many people would have bought a main MH game on the Vita if it were available.
 

Metallix87

Member
Not off the bat no, however, as this generation goes on and Capcom watches how the drama unfolds between PS4 and Xbone, they are going to have no choice but to react to those platforms lest they leave money on the table and stick to their stubborn ways in mobile. I know the word "spend" is a curse to Capcom, but using this new generation to make another attempt at console relevancy for MH would be a boon for them. Shiny graphics, MH4 style gameplay on new generation hardware? Shit would sell like hotcakes. Of course, this is assuming Capcom even wants to make money.

Capcom wants to make money, which is why they wouldn't be enticed by what you offered. Shiny new graphics means a lot more investment, and they're not interested in that. 3DS is the way they continue, re-using assets, until the next generation of handheld, when they look at the 3DS's successor and the Vita's successor and decide which one will carry the franchise.
 

Vlodril

Member
Why is monster hunter even exclusive? Do japanese companies tend more towards exclusivity with their big ip's than their western counterparts or is it a capcom thing?
 

Monocle

Member
Maybe at some point they'll realize they control many popular franchises that they haven't given proper attention in years.
 

Metallix87

Member
because like I said, the sheer number of western gamers with consoles massively outnumbers the total number of 3DS sold, thats worth it alone. Yeah it could fail but given the potential its a risk worth taking as if a console MH (i'm going to assume multiplat, succceds) thats a huge windfall for them. And the console version would launch in Japan too so some sales there.

Again, the last three consoles that had MH on them failed to come close to handheld sales. What you're essentially suggesting is continuing to punch a brick wall in the hopes of eventually striking gold, when in reality all you have are broken bones and bloody fingers.

Is 450,000 a sizable enough number because that's how much Toukiden sold in Japan. And I'll go out on a limb here and say that at LEAST that many people would have bought a main MH game on the Vita if it were available.

450k isn't a lot for a franchise that is selling 4 - 5 million currently. Why waste the resources?
 

cw_sasuke

If all DLC came tied to $13 figurines, I'd consider all DLC to be free
theres no way to know if it would fail, and considering the sheer audience size on PS3/360/XO/PS4 thats a HUGE potential target audience to not even attempt to get.

Am i missing something or since when is MH a sales guarantee on home consoles ? Its not the same but Capcom spend a whole bunch of money and manpower into developing Dragons Dogma and it had trouble selling a million copies in the west on the 150 million PS360 userbase.

Not saying that MH cant be successful on consoles, but the the sales they would need to justify developing a big budget MH console are not guaranteed at all. At this point Capcom cant risk it with their cash cow, after RE6 already failed to met expectations.
 
Top Bottom