Monster Hunter Wilds' popularity due to emphasis on story, says series producer

Monster Hunter Wilds has seen huge success since it launched at the end of February, which series producer Ryozo Tsujimoto has put down to the emphasis on story.

Speaking to The Nikkei (via Automaton), Tsujimoto discussed the launch of Capcom’s latest in the hit series and what elements have contributed to its success.

The producer cited the emphasis on story, the heightened immersion due to full voice acting, and the inclusion of crossplay as key elements.

Crossplay allows players across PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S to play together in multiplayer and hunt with friends no matter which platform they play on. Last month, Tsujimoto acknowledged the importance of the PC platform in particular: “Yeah, there are more players than ever playing on PC, including in Japan,” he said, “so we definitely see room for the series to capture new players who haven’t tried it before if that’s their chosen platform.”

However, the story emphasis is curious considering this is one area of the game that has been criticised in reviews.

Monster Hunter Wilds, as with previous games in the series, includes a set story that acts as training for later High Rank hunts after the credits. It’s certainly more cinematic than previous entries, but it also lacks challenge.

“The main story campaign is essentially a 20-hour tutorial designed to gently walk players through the fundamentals, but it’s so tortuously belaboured, and covers so little meaningful ground… it feels approximately 20 times longer than it needs to be,” wrote Matt Wales in Eurogamer’s Monster Hunter Wilds review. “It’s also essentially mandatory given so many of Wilds’ features – from side quests to Palico support skills, and even the game’s flagship seasonal dynamism – don’t unlock till the credits roll and High Rank begins.