Yesterday, we went into some detail about how Monster Hunter: World was a spin-off title from the main series and Monster Hunter 5 was the next installment and it was coming exclusively to the Nintendo Switch. It turns out that all we had to do was wait a while because Capcom has confirmed Monster Hunter: World is indeed the next main title in the long-running series.
Monster Hunter: World was revealed at Sony’s E3 conference and it looked like a Monster Hunter that we’ve never seen before. It had top-notch graphics, which aren’t really something Monster Hunter players are used to since the series mainly appears on handhelds, and it was available on Xbox One, a first in the series. Fans were no doubt confused to see the Nintendo Switch get left out of the mix, especially so soon after the announcement that Monster Hunter Double Cross was coming to the console.
Monster Hunter: World was conceived as a way to cater to western audiences, where Monster Hunter is not as popular and it looks to be doing a good job of that so far. Confused fans took to Twitter to ask if this was actually the next main installment and a series of Capcom employees confirmed the news. It appears as though the series has dropped the numbered installments and moved on to subtitles.
An interview with Capcom by Dengeki Online confirmed the game was originally going to be called Monster Hunter 5 but the team liked the subtitle “World’ so they went with that instead. You can find the original interview here and the translation here. Of course, this doesn’t officially mean that there will never be a game called Monster Hunter 5, but it does mean this was conceived as that project and changed its name.
@Echo829 @FallenIsel @Norumu Definitely not a spin-off =)
@SuharriU This is next generation of Monster Hunter!
This a tough pill to swallow for Nintendo Switch owners, especially after the Switch appeared to be the successor to the 3DS and Monster Hunter franchise. We don’t even have any word of localization for Monster Hunter Double Cross, and we may never get it according to these tweets. Luckily, the Switch is region-free so you can always brush up on your Japanese and import a copy.
In the meantime, we will let you know if we hear any more information regarding Monster Hunter: World and the Nintendo Switch. Saying “we having nothing to announce for the Switch currently” leaves the door cracked open for a future announcement regarding World and the Switch. If there’s even a little bit of truth to the rumor that Sony paid Capcom to keep the game off the Switch, it may end up being that the other consoles have timed-exclusivity and the title is still coming. All anyone can do is hope at this point.
Monster Hunter: World releases in early 2018 for PS4, Xbox One and PC. You can check out the official trailer below.
