Monster Hunter Transforms with Open-World Expansion

Building on the phenomenal success of Monster Hunter World, Capcom is revolutionizing the series with Monster Hunter Wilds.

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Monster Hunter World's Success Paved the Way for Wilds

Reimagining the Hunt: A Seamless Open World

Monster Hunter Wilds boldly reimagines the franchise, transforming its iconic hunts into a vibrant, interconnected world with a dynamic, real-time ecosystem.

In a Summer Game Fest interview, producer Ryozo Tsujimoto, executive director Kaname Fujioka, and director Yuya Tokuda detailed Wilds' transformative approach. They highlighted the seamless gameplay and immersive environment that reacts to player actions.

Players, as hunters, explore an uncharted region brimming with new creatures and resources. However, the Summer Game Fest demo showcased a significant departure from the series' traditional mission structure. Instead of segmented areas, Wilds presents a sprawling, open world for unrestricted exploration, hunting, and environmental interaction.

"Seamlessness is a core design principle for Monster Hunter Wilds," Fujioka explained. "We aimed to craft detailed, immersive ecosystems demanding a seamless world filled with freely huntable monsters."

A Dynamic and Responsive World

The demo featured desert settlements, diverse biomes, various monsters, and NPC hunters. This new approach allows players to freely choose targets and actions without time constraints, offering a more flexible hunting experience. Fujioka emphasized the importance of world interaction: "We focused on interactions like monster packs pursuing prey and their conflicts with human hunters. These characters have 24-hour behavior patterns, creating a more dynamic and organic feel."

Monster Hunter Wilds also boasts real-time weather changes and fluctuating monster populations. Director Yuya Tokuda attributed this dynamic world to new technological advancements: "Creating a vast, evolving ecosystem with more monsters and interactive characters was a major challenge. Environmental changes occur simultaneously—something previously unattainable."

The success of Monster Hunter World provided invaluable lessons shaping Wilds' development. Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto highlighted the significance of their expanded global strategy: "We adopted a global mindset for Monster Hunter World, prioritizing simultaneous worldwide release and comprehensive localization. This global perspective helped us cater to players unfamiliar with the series and entice their return."