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[Neoxon]

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?

The 3DS sells like hotcakes in Japan, it costs less to develop on, & Nintendo helps out with localization in exchange for the exclusivity. And now, the MH fanbase has settled on the platform (&, to an extent, the Wii U due to MH3U).

 

[wsippel]

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.

Like Pokémon, Monster Hunter is a handheld franchise first and foremost. It's part of its DNA now. The whole game is built around it. Fixed teams, no drop-in, drop-out stuff, and games that are either too long or too short by console standards. A proper, potentially successful console game would require core changes so substantial that the resulting game wouldn't even be Monster Hunter anymore.

 

[ArkhamFantasy]

Not surprising if you really think about it, they are making video games for people who dont care about video games. (Aka the mobile market).

 

[MightyKAC]

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?

Nintendo gave Capcom huge stacks of cash to stay on Nintendo platforms. Capcom being lazy as it is decided that was a great idea since it wouldn't have to update its assets past PS2 levels and still get paid regardless.

 

[Haunted]

Is Monster Hunter really such a bust in the west?

I don't think there's another series of this size that has such delayed localisation efforts. Some versions flat-out don't come to the west at all. It's ridiculous. This is some Nintendo level bullshit. Global releases really should be the fucking norm in 2014. Ditch fucking Frontier, no one likes it. Focus your resources on speedy localisation, simultaneous releases and proper console versions. I mean ffs, that Chinese Monster Hunter Online game by Tencent makes Capcom's own effort look generations behind. It's shameful.

/rant


But those are just my dreams as a gamer and Monster Hunter fan - I guess making cynical pachislot mobile games with a Monster Hunter skin has a much higher profit margin and they can be pumped out much easier, so hurray for that, I guess.

Reality sucks sometimes.

 

[ArchedThunder]

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.

Monster Hunter isn't popular in the west, just putting one on consoles would not be enough to change that. It would likely sell 1-2 million in Japan and they'd be super lucky if it even came close to 1 million in the west. Considering the budget for such a game that would likely mean they wouldn't make a profit off of it.

 

[Stone Ocean]

Who woulda thought that spending their profits on something that wasn't being profitable for them wouldn't work?

 

[69wpm]

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

Capcom says otherwise:

Furthermore, "Monster Hunter 3 (Tri) G HD Ver.", which was our first title for the new home video console "Wii U" that was launched in December 2012, also became a smash hit. However, its package sales were generally soft.

Source

 

[Haunted]

Like Pokémon, Monster Hunter is a handheld franchise first and foremost. It's part of its DNA now. The whole game is built around it. Fixed teams, no drop-in, drop-out stuff, and games that are either too long or too short by console standards. A proper, potentially successful console game would require core changes so substantial that the resulting game wouldn't even be Monster Hunter anymore.

Couldn't disagree more.

Design a proper UI instead of the shit hackjob they've done for Tri/Ultimate, make sure the engine is up to snuff and Monster Hunter translates perfectly well to the big screen.

 

[Billen]

Monster Hunter on mobile. What the hell did you expect? Get the normal titles out for all major platforms, where grinders are to be expected. If needed, throw in some payable DLC for costumes (no pay2win, would kill the game instantly), followers etc.

Sit back. Drown in cash.

 

[ShogunDarius]

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.

i'm not saying that it would succeed, but I'm saying we cant say it will fail either. All i'm saying is going by console sales themselves the 4 consoles massively outnumber total 3ds sales, and that is a huge audience, and next gen is selling very well so far and continuing to do so. Get a marketing deal with MS, or with Sony etc, make it known that its coming get people interested and there is a potential for a huge windfall, not a guarantee, no one can guarantee that.

 

[wsippel]

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.

If those 450k primarily come from people who also own a 3DS and would have bought the 3DS version if there was no Vita port, it definitely wouldn't be worth porting. And that's a pretty save assumption.

Nintendo gave Capcom huge stacks of cash to stay on Nintendo platforms. Capcom being lazy as it is decided that was a great idea since it wouldn't have to update its assets past PS2 levels and still get paid regardless.

That, however, is pure and baseless speculation. It's actually quite unlikely Nintendo paid Capcom a single cent outside of localization and cross marketing agreements. 3DS was the best option for Capcom, so why should Nintendo see the need to pay Capcom for doing something they would have done anyway?

 

[DieH@rd]

They expected big money from Monster Hunter Frontier?

L O L

 

[Boss Mog]

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

I was joking. Obviously that could never happen for a myriad of reasons. Sadly I wish it could though; I love my Vita and I just want it to get a big system seller somehow. Then maybe it could get some more third party love. When I think at what SE was able to do graphically on the PSP, I can only imagine what they could achieve on the Vita.

 

[Neoxon]

If those 450k primarily come from people who also own a 3DS and would have bought the 3DS version if there was no Vita port, it definitely wouldn't be worth porting. And that's a pretty save assumption.



That, however, is pure and baseless speculation. It's actually quite unlikely Nintendo paid Capcom a single cent outside of localization and cross marketing agreements. 3DS was the best option for Capcom, so why should Nintendo see the need to pay Capcom for doing something they would have done anyway?

We know Nintendo had a hand in localizing the last few MH games, & helped advertise them.

 

[2+2=5]

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?



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

Your problem is that you almost consider Monster Hunter a Japan only game, well it's not, why a company short on money would waste money localizing a game if other regions sales were not worthy?

But honestly i hope Capcom stops reiterating MH and SF and makes game that people really want.

 

[Wynnebeck]

The 3DS sells like hotcakes in Japan, it costs less to develop on, & Nintendo helps out with localization in exchange for the exclusivity. And now, the MH fanbase has settled on the platform (&, to an extent, the Wii U due to MH3U).

Ah, but isn't the 3DS currently tracking below YOY? Japan is hitting its market saturation for 3DS and it's going to be interesting to see what cards Nintendo plays from their hand now that their biggest titles for the current future already dropped (MH4, Pokemon X+Y).

 

[Jon Armdog]

1) Drop Dragons Dogma onto Steam with mod support for a quick little cash grab.

2) Then, reuse current DD/Dark Arisen assets, but make the world significantly larger and add random mobs. Make it a cross-generation (PS3/PS4/360/Xbone/PC) Dragons Dogma 2.

3) Next, get to work on a big PS4/Xbone Dragons Dogma 3 after a couple of years of development.

...and then I woke up from my wonderful dream. But, I'd buy all of them!

 

[Metallix87]

Nintendo gave Capcom huge stacks of cash to stay on Nintendo platforms. Capcom being lazy as it is decided that was a great idea since it wouldn't have to update its assets past PS2 levels and still get paid regardless.

Wow, what a bitter post.

 

[wsippel]

Couldn't disagree more.

Design a proper UI instead of the shit hackjob they've done for Tri/Ultimate, make sure the engine is up to snuff and Monster Hunter translates perfectly well to the big screen.

I said "potentially successful". I personally play MH on consoles and prefer it that way, but I don't think the current formula would find a large audience on consoles - no matter how well they redesign the UI. It's just too different from typical console multiplayer games.

 

[jimi_dini]

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.

If they could play together (actual multiplatform coop), it would be fine (sort of like 3DS + Wii U owners playing together). But I doubt that this would happen. Instead there would be a PSN MonsterHunter and a Nintendo Network MonsterHunter. Which would split the userbase. And the userbase in one of those (I guess Vita) would be tiny compared to the other, which would then result in even less games sold on that platform, because there are not enough people playing it.

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

MonsterHunter isn't a thing for the western audience. It's niche. Just because there are more people owning a PS4 or even Bone doesn't mean that there is a larger MonsterHunter audience on those. Would typical PS4/Bone users accept Monter Hunter 3 Ultimate graphics? No fucking way. Capcom would have to spend way more money on it and then hope for the best.

 

[zhao3gold]

Just make Monster Hunter Crush Saga, then you can earn money. Or make Flappy Monsters....

 

[wsippel]

We know Nintendo had a hand in localizing the last few MH games, & helped advertise them.

Did you even read my post? That's exactly what I wrote.

 

[patapuf]

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.

Right now MH sells what, 4 or 5 Million copies per mainline entry?

Now, a "shiny" next gen Version would be much more expensive to produce than the current handheld games, and considering how past entries have sold on consoles it's pretty unlikely that they even reach the sales of the handheld title. I don't really see the "no brainer" here.

Also, Capcom already has Deep Down as their coop RPG for next gen.

 

[HawthorneKitty]

Their ios Airou game is fun.

 

[Wynnebeck]

Right now MH sells what, 4 or 5 Million copies per mainline entry?

Now, a "shiny" next gen Version would be much more expensive to produce than the current handheld games, and considering how past entries have sold on consoles it's pretty unlikely that they even reach the sales of the handheld title. I don't really see the "no brainer" here.

Also, Capcom already has Deep Down as their coop RPG for next gen.

The reason why I don't subscribe to that reasoning is due to Capcom using their entries on the PS2 where it sold poorly as reason to not attempt it again outside of Tri/MH3U. I keep hearing everyone say, "It's not going anywhere. Consoles will never sell games! You can't split the fanbase!" but as stated before, Capcom had no problem doing it on the Wii/Wii U. So honestly, all of this is speculation and conjecture until Capcom makes a serious attempt.

 

[MightyKAC]

Wow, what a bitter post.

Yeah, and it was intentional. Because I really really hate Capcom.

I said "potentially successful". I personally play MH on consoles and prefer it that way, but I don't think the current formula would find a large audience on consoles - no matter how well they redesign the UI. It's just too different from typical console multiplayer games.

Honestly, the way I look at it is if Capcom wanted to make MH big on consoles they could. Be it with Nintendo or Sony or Microsoft or whatever. I think they either A. don't care to give it an honest try for the west or B. Honestly have no idea how to go about doing it. And say what you like but them being on the Wii or the Wii U didn't really help the chances much with success at all.

 

[SmokedMeat]

Capcom's mobile output is horrendous, so no suprise there.

 

[patapuf]

The reason why I don't subscribe to that reasoning is due to Capcom using their entries on the PS2 where it sold poorly as reason to not attempt it again outside of Tri/MH3U. I keep hearing everyone say, "It's not going anywhere. Consoles will never sell games! You can't split the fanbase!" but as stated before, Capcom had no problem doing it on the Wii/Wii U. So honestly, all of this is speculation and conjecture until Capcom makes a serious attempt.

I'm not saying it won't sell at all. I'm saying that a MH with AAA production values would be much more expensive than a handheld one. That means they will want at least similar sales numbers to justify the investment.

And there are very few RPG's - in general- that sold more than 5 Million copies on console last gen. And as i said, they already do experiment with high end RPG's. You had Dragons Dogma on last gen, and now Deep Down for current gen.

 

[Bold One]

I know there will be unfortunate consequences for employees, but this news made me smile.

 

[Techies]

If you gonna make something exclusive to Japan, don't expect the rest of the world to care...

Take Monster Hunter and throw it to the like of Ninja Theory, let them show how it's done.

 

[Wynnebeck]

I'm not saying it won't sell. I'm saying that a MH with AAA production values would more expensive than a handheld one. That means they will also Need at least similar sales numbers to justify the Investment.

And there are very few RPG's - in general- that sold more than 5 Million copies on console last gen.

Oh obviously. Capcom is broke. So all decisions made from here on out are to make them them most possible money from the least amount of work. However, as the saying goes, you got to spend money to earn money. If Capcom unified their resources and made a serious attempt, I'd think they would fare well. Deep Down is good first attempt minus the obvious mobile like influence of it being F2P.

 

[Haunted]

I said "potentially successful". I personally play MH on consoles and prefer it that way, but I don't think the current formula would find a large audience on consoles - no matter how well they redesign the UI. It's just too different from typical console multiplayer games.

Well, the times were Japanese devs led in sales and had the biggest successes in gaming is over (that even has started to catch up to the perennial exception to the rule, Nintendo).

They shouldn't look at the best selling games and try to reach those insane CoD/FIFA/GTA numbers, those times are over. Making a good Monster Hunter game and your dev money back should be considered a success. Or I guess they can have 600 people work on RE7 and watch that flop critically and commercially again.

 

[Ushojax]

Make shit games, lose money.

Maybe Capcom could try making good games again?

 

[Haunted]

Oh obviously. Capcom is broke. So all decisions made from here on out are to make them them most possible money from the least amount of work. However, as the saying goes, you got to spend money to earn money.

PACHISLOT GAMES FOR EVERYONE

If Capcom unified their resources and made a serious attempt, I'd think they would fare well. Deep Down is good first attempt minus the obvious mobile like influence of it being F2P.

I agree.

Dark Souls has prepped people, the time is ripe for a proper current-gen console Monster Hunter.

 

[Metallix87]

Your problem is that you almost consider Monster Hunter a Japan only game, well it's not, why a company short on money would waste money localizing a game if other regions sales were not worthy?

But honestly i hope Capcom stops reiterating MH and SF and makes game that people really want.

It basically is a Japan only game in terms of sales. Nintendo helps localize it because of a niche fan base here.

 

[OldAsUrSock]

Just localize the monster hunter MMO and get lots of money.

 

[Metallix87]

Just localize the monster hunter MMO and get lots of money.

If you mean Frontier, I actually think that's a terrible idea.

 

[2+2=5]

I'm not saying it won't sell at all. I'm saying that a MH with AAA production values would be much more expensive than a handheld one. That means they will want at least similar sales numbers to justify the investment.

And there are very few RPG's - in general- that sold more than 5 Million copies on console last gen.

That would be true for any other game because you need to redo all the assets for each new title, but MH is recycling the game, once they do a monster, a weapon, an area etc they are reused on all the successive reiterations, so only a little part of each new game is really new and needs money.

It basically is a Japan only game in terms of sales. Nintendo helps localize it because of a niche fan base here.

1)Having most of the sales in Japan doesn't make it a Japan only game
2)despite the big sales MH is a niche game, for this reason imo Capcom should rely less on it and try to create new ips that appeal to a wider public.

 

[SmokedMeat]

Capcom should create a Monster Hunter title on mobile where you're collecting and raising the actual monsters, and then sending them into battle against the Hunters.

 

[Metallix87]

Capcom should create a Monster Hunter title on mobile where you're collecting and raising the actual monsters, and then sending them into battle against the Hunters.

Now THAT is a great idea. Raise new monsters, mostly color swaps, and send them to the 3DS game to slay for new, unique materials.

 

[Techies]

Oh and get it on Steam for the international audience.

 

[Haunted]

If you mean Frontier, I actually think that's a terrible idea.

Pretty sure he means the Chinese one, Online.

Still a terrible idea. MMOs aren't the way to go.

 

[Passive Assassin]

hooly shit. capcom ps.

 

[Pie and Beans]

Is Monster Hunter really such a bust in the west?

I don't think there's another series of this size that has such delayed localisation efforts. Some versions flat-out don't come to the west at all. It's ridiculous. This is some Nintendo level bullshit. Global releases really should be the fucking norm in 2014. Ditch fucking Frontier, no one likes it. Focus your resources on speedy localisation, simultaneous releases and proper console versions. I mean ffs, that Chinese Monster Hunter Online game by Tencent makes Capcom's own effort look generations behind. It's shameful.

/rant

Pretty much. No MonHun Portable 3rd started the ridiculousness, especially when that had a PS3 version to boot. Now its 2015 for Monster Hunter 4 (I got my 3DS essentially for 4 ) and probably no chance of MonHun Online ever coming over while I think I read a threat they might bring the now positively ancient Frontier over.

Not only this, but mix in all sorts of other titles like EX Troopers that only saw Japanese releaso, the bomb Gaist Crushers, and bizarrely not releasing things like Dragon's Dogma on PC.

They caught the SEGA disease a long while ago and the symptoms just keep showing themselves. Not as severe quite yet, but still.

 

[iceatcs]

I think Capcom will be better off if they stop do the exculsive deal. Esp DR and MH could have better profit from sell more.

 

[dark_prinny]

I really hope there's a lesson learned here so Capcom and many other Japanese companies move their focus from mobile games once and for all.

 

[Wynnebeck]

I agree.

Dark Souls has prepped people, the time is ripe for a proper current-gen console Monster Hunter.

Do you hear the people sing? Singing the song of angry fans!

 

[erpg]

Oh and get it on Steam for the international audience.

Nah, it'll sell less than 450k and that's just not worth it!

 

[Pie and Beans]

Do you hear the people sing? Singing the song of angry fans!

Playing Monster Hunter 4 as a new release in 2015 is such a bizarre prospect after we'll probably have played Deep Down by then.

I imagine its sort of like what a powerless and confused time traveller might feel towards entertainment.