‘Monster Hunter World’ is Capcom’s fastest-selling game of all time

By Gabe Gurwin Published February 9, 2018

Monster Hunter World has had a successful first few weeks, to say the least. The game managed to overtake PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds as the top-selling game on the Xbox One store, and it has already shipped 6 million units. That isn’t just impressive for publisher Capcom: It’s the fastest pace for any game in the company’s history.

It isn’t clear how many of those 6 million units have been sold to consumers — the statistic just means they have been sent to retailers. However, in the first three days of sale, Capcom had already shipped 5 million units. The additional million copies likely means that those initial units had already sold through to players. The game has attracted a wider following due to its more accessible gameplay systems as well as its release on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 rather than a portable system. It managed to top Dragon Ball FighterZ for the most-downloaded PlayStation 4 game in January, also beating out heavy hitters like Madden NFL 18 and Call of Duty: WWII.

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The previous game in the series, the spin-off Monster Hunter Stories, didn’t perform particularly well for Capcom. The Switch game Monster Hunter XX — a port of a 3DS game — also sold poorly, though it wasn’t released outside of Japan.

Capcom clearly wants Monster Hunter to be as big, if not bigger, than its Resident Evil and Street Fighter series, with plans already in the works for a Hollywood movie as well as the Universal Studios Japan “Monster Hunter: The Real” attraction. We’re crossing our fingers that the monsters aren’t actually real.

Currently, the best-selling Capcom game of all time is Resident Evil 5 with 7.3 million units sold, followed closely by Resident Evil 6 with 7.1 million units sold. Assuming Monster Hunter World has already managed to sell 5 million copies, it would be the fourth-best-selling Capcom game of all time after only a few weeks on store shelves. The Monster Hunter series as a whole has managed to sell 40 million units, tying it with Street Fighter. Both are significantly behind the Resident Evil series’ 82 million units.

Monster Hunter World is available now on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. A PC version will release later in 2018.

Contributor

Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

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Gaming

Monster Hunter Wilds: release date, gameplay, preorder, and more

A hunter dodges a monster in Monster Hunter Wilds.

It is time to sharpen your blades, stock up on potions, and eat a hearty meal because a new hunt is approaching. Monster Hunter Wilds was revealed at The Game Awards 2023, and it looks to be the biggest and baddest entry in the entire hunting genre.

Ever since the series hit it big with Monster Hunter: World, it has attracted fans the world over. Some were a little disappointed with the last entry, Monster Hunter Rise, due to it first coming to Switch before being ported to PC, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles at a later date. This time, Capcom doesn't seem to be holding back, so let's follow the tracks and hunt down all the details about Monster Hunter Wilds.
Release date

Gaming

Monster Hunter Wilds gets a February release date in fierce new trailer

A hunter dodges a monster in Monster Hunter Wilds.

Capcom has treated us to another long look at Monster Hunter Wilds, including that all-important release date. The hunt is on beginning February 28, 2025, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

The latest trailer for the next entry in the massively popular Monster Hunter franchise showed off a more personal side to the story, opening with a child fleeing the wrath of the White Wraith and introducing us to many of the characters we can look forward to bonding with while slaying giant beasts. The adorable Palicos are back in full force, helping with cooking and on the battlefield as they have in prior games. In one instance a hunter was knocked out and saved by a Palico dropping a health potion on them.

Gaming

I played Monster Hunter Wilds, and it’s already a thrill

A hunter runs through a lightning storm in Monster Hunter Wilds.

I've always seen Monster Hunter as a cinematic game, though perhaps not in the way that many gamers picture when they hear the word. I'm not talking about big-budget cutscenes. Rather, spectacle is baked into its world. There's no greater thrill than watching on as the titanic beast I'm tracking suddenly gets attacked by another creature. It's like watching a kaiju battle unfold organically.

With Monster Hunter Wilds, though, Capcom is upping the ante. In a 90-minute demo, I played through the upcoming action RPG's first two missions. They were standard hunts against towering beasts, but something was different this time. A larger emphasis on thrilling cutscenes and cinematic set pieces took center stage between my normal hacking and slashing. That makes for a sequel that takes Monster Hunter to the next level, unlocking its blockbuster potential.
More cinematic
When my demo begins, I'm sailing on an ocean of sand with a crew of ragtag characters. After getting briefed on a monster in the area, the dreaded White Wraithe, I'm treated to an action-packed sequence. I see sandworms chasing a character in the distance, as if I'm watching a scene out of Dune. My hero leaps from the side of the ship and lands on a Seikret and gives chase. As I gain control of my character, I'm suddenly in a chase sequence. Worms leap around me, and I have to knock them off my trail with my slingshot. It's positively dazzling.