The record-breaking success ofMonster Hunter Wildsis a welcome surprise for longtime fans of the series who have watched its steady rise to prominence over the last several years. Formerly a relatively niche franchise that limited most of its mainline entries to handhelds — several of them Japan-exclusive, to boot — theMonster Hunterseries experienced its breakout moment withMonster Hunter World, which built upon the goodwill the series had established with the 3DS entriesMonster Hunter 3and4 Ultimateto deliver the series' most accessible entry to date.Monster Hunter Wildsonly continues that push toward accessibility, and its commercial success proves it was the right move for the franchise.
ButMonster Hunter Wilds' critical acclaim and substantial commercial success are a more modern phenomenon for the series and a far cry from its much more humble beginnings on PS2. Surprisingly, the originalMonster Hunteron PS2 was largely critically panned and a commercial flop in North America, resulting in its sequel remaining Japan-exclusive thanks to the series' far greater commercial success in the region. Since then, the franchise has incrementally gained a strong foothold in the West to become one ofCapcom’s flagship IP, and the release ofMonster Hunter Wilds(and its impressive sales figures) solidifies it as a “full circle” moment for the series.
The Monster Hunter Franchise Has Come a Long Way
Before the arrival ofMonster Hunter Worldin 2018, theMonster Hunterfranchisewas mostly relegated to Japan-only console releases and handhelds. That focus on handheld play was a calculated shift on Capcom’s part, taking advantage of Japan’s population density, the popularity of handhelds among Japanese gamers, and readily available access to wireless internet to facilitate co-op play to transformMonster Hunterfrom a one-off game to a full-blown franchise. Slowly but surely,Monster Hunterstarted to gain a foothold in the West, but not until later entries likeMonster Hunter 4: Ultimateon 3DS made a major commercial splash, setting the stage for Capcom to put the resources behind a brand-new entry developed specifically for home consoles.
Monster Hunter Worldrepresented a “lightning in a bottle” moment for Capcom, arriving hot on the heels of the company’s successfulreinvention ofResident Evilcourtesy ofResident Evil 7and presenting the notoriously hard-to-get-intoMonster Hunterseries in a much more beginner-friendly package.World’s success would only be further cemented in the coming years by thousands of players jumping on the title during the lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic, which teed up 2021’sMonster Hunter Riseto have similar success, eventually paving the way for Capcom to bring the previously Switch-exclusive game to other consoles and PC.
Monster Hunter Wilds Has Achieved an Important Milestone for Capcom
Despite the impressive success of bothMonster Hunter WorldandMonster Hunter Rise, neither title could have prepared Capcom for what the company had in store withMonster Hunter Wilds.Wilds' reveal at The Game Awards 2023was one of the main highlights of the show, resulting in a year of hype that had the surprising side effect of boosting player counts for older games in the series. It was obvious that fans were hungry for moreMonster Hunter, andMonster Hunter Wildswas primed to see the series achieve its greatest success yet.
Monster Hunter Wildshas now broken a veryimportant record for Capcom, becoming the studio’s fastest-selling game by reaching a staggering 8 million units in sales in just 3 days. To put it in perspective, it tookMonster Hunter Worldnearly 5 months to achieve similar sales, which signalsMonster Hunter Wildsas the true moment when the series made its full switch from being a commercial and critical failure to being one of Capcom’s most important franchises.Wilds' success is well-earned and proves that Capcom’s investment in the franchise was a worthwhile strategy that will continue to pay off in the future.
