"More Players Than Ever Playing On PC

Summary

More Japanese developers are focusing on PC gaming due to the increasing player base worldwide.
Capcom’s Monster Hunter Wilds will be released simultaneously on consoles and PC, signaling a shift in strategy.
The beta for Monster Hunter Wilds on PC surpassed the player count of Monster Hunter World, hinting at high interest.

While Japanese developers like Capcom usually focused primarily on consoles, that trend has slowly shifted in the last few years. More and more Japan-based studios are emphasizing PC gaming equally, releasing games the same day as their console counterparts.

Given the number of PC players worldwide, it’s understandable that more developers recognize the importance of the player base. One such developer is Capcom’s Monster Hunter team.

Monster Hunter Wilds’ Director Went Undercover In The Game’s Own Beta Test

Yuya Tokuda has been a little sneaky, joining random players in the game’s beta test.

More And More People Are Gaming On PCs In Japan

Speaking to Games Radar, Monster Hunter Wilds producer Ryozo Tsujimoto was asked if he agrees PC is a major growth platform for Japanese games.

Tsujimoto answered, “Yeah, there are more players than ever playing on PC, including in Japan. So we definitely see room for the series to capture new players who haven’t tried it before if that’s their chosen platform.”

Continuing, Tsujimoto commented, “That’s part of why Capcom was so keen to implement crossplay in Wilds, so that “the choice is yours on which platform you want to play with, and then [you can just] go online and hunt with your friends.”

Compared to Monster Hunter World, MH Wilds will be released the same day on consoles and PC. The PC version was released after a few months for Monster Hunter World. This release date change should be a sign of the times not only for the franchise but for the company as well.

Monster Hunter Wilds To Focus More On Story: “It Just Made Sense”

Yuya Tokuda explains this new direction for Monster Hunter’s story.

This move might prove to pay dividends for Capcom, as the Monster Hunter Wilds beta reached over 460,000 concurrent players on Steam, which even beat out multiplayer surprise hit Helldivers 2’s highest concurrent player number on the platform (458,208). Of course, essential to note that the MH Wilds beta was free, but that proves player interest for the franchise on PC is at a high level.

If this beta figure carries over to the final release, this means Monster Hunter Wilds will beat out Monster Hunter World, which amassed an all-time concurrent player peak of 334,684 on Steam. Add this number to the sure-to-be-high console player count, and players shouldn’t have any issues finding players to match with.

Monster Hunter Wilds will claw its way out on February 28 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Capcom has already outlined the game’s first major update that will add a new monster, which is set to be released in Spring 2025.