Another lull has come to theMonster Hunterseries.Monster Hunter Risejust released its final major update, bringing Primordial Malzeno into the game as its final monster. BetweenMonster Hunter Rise, theSunbreakexpansion, and their gradual rollout onto every platform, the most recent generation ofMonster Hunterhas been a rousing success. Even if it didn’t reach the heights of fame thatMonster Hunter Worlddid, it’s hard to match the entry that propelled the franchise to worldwide recognition.
However, that still comes with a problem. Now thatMonster Hunter Risehas wrapped development, fans were expecting to hear something about what was coming next. The timing of the final update seemed like a perfect baton pass to the Summer Game Fest, but noMonster Hunterappeared during any of its events. Even theupcoming mobile titleMonster Hunter Nowwas only seen for a moment and was otherwise found at the physical Niantic booth. The franchise could go anywhere at this point, and it’s not clear how long it will take to get there.
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Another Monster Hunter World Could Be Enough
The most obvious direction forMonster HunterisMonster Hunter World 2. As the originalWorldhas become synonymous with the franchise, it would be best to carry on its name, or at least its spirit, in the next title. For all theexperimental featuresMonster Hunter Risetried, such as monster riding and the Wirebug movement system,Worldrepresents a return toMonster Hunter’s basics with modern polish. It was a true reset point, bringingMHto PS4 and Xbox One with conveniences that endeared it to mainstream audiences.Monster Hunter Worldbecame the new baseline for the franchise, and it’s impossible to go wrong with more of that.
What aMonster Hunter World 2could introduce isn’t certain, but it could once again raise the franchise’s standard. LikeMH World, it would make the generational leap to the PS5 and Xbox Series consoles, and the in-universe jump to a new location with several new monsters. Unlike its predecessor,Monster Hunter World 2would benefit from the assets built up across prior games and their expansions to quickly build a large monster pool. It could also cherry-pick the best mechanics and abilities fromMonster Hunter WorldandRise, integrating them into core gameplay while introducing something new or refurbishing anold feature likeMonster Hunter Tri’s swimming.
The Monster Hunter Franchise Could Go In Many Directions
The next mainlineMonster Hunterwould be a safe direction to take the franchise, and other features like cross-play and cross-progression, a true open-world map, or using certain monsters as allies could be introduced. However,Monster Hunteris more than just its hunting games, and a spin-off could give the next traditionalMHsome extra development time. TheMonster Hunter Storiessubserieshas found surprising success as a distinctPokemonclone. A third entry could truly make a name for itself in the JRPG space and could even focus more on how mundane life looks when actual monster hunters aren’t around.
Room for other projects also exists, including another attempt at aMonster Huntermovie or a smaller spin-off title. With the popularity of the canteen cutscenes,Monster Hunteris ripe for a cooking gamefeaturing the Meowscular Chef and the Palicoes. Remastering oldMonster Huntertitles in a collection would also be appreciated, especially if they get modern online systems in the process. There’s a lot that Capcom could do withMonster Hunternow, though fans probably can’t expect to see anything with it until either the 2023 Game Awards or 2024’s Summer Game Fest. Whatever happens, now is a great time to catch up on existingMonster Huntertitles and their expansions while waiting for the franchise’s next chapter.
