During the first week of release, Monster Hunter Rise is topping the charts in Japan, having shipped more than 5 million copies since release. Capcom has hit it out of the park once again, with Monster Hunter Rise selling 1.3 million physical copies in Japan and 4 million copies around the world.
Monster Hunter Rise is the newest instalment in Capcom’s Monster Hunter franchise. The Nintendo Switch game follows the same formula as most Monster Hunter games, where players set out on missions to hunt down monsters and use their parts to make new equipment, increasing the strength of their weapons to do battle with even stronger monsters. Monster Hunter Rise introduces new elements to the series, including wire bugs for movement abilities, a new dog companion that can be mounted, and a survival Rampage mode.
Monster Hunter's publisher Capcom (via Nintendo Life) recently announced the huge milestone online on its official website, stating that the franchise sold 66 million units as of 2020. This means that the Japanese games company has sold over 71 million units when one adds in the 5 million from Monster Hunter Rise. This is especially impressive, seeing as Monster Hunter only debuted in 2004, giving it a relatively small turnaround time in which to run this many units.
Originally Monster Hunter was only really popular in Japan, but since the release of Monster Hunter World in 2018, the series has expanded its fanbase around the world and in the west. Monster Hunter: World managed to sell 7.2 million copies by December 2020, but Rise may be quick to overtake the title, having sold more than half this amount in just two weeks since release. The rise in popularity of the franchise even led Capcom to release a Hollywood film based in the Monster Hunter universe, Monster Hunter, which stared Resident Evil star Milla Jovovich.
Another Monster Hunter title is coming out soon: Monster Hunter Stories: Wings of Ruin, which is set to release on July 9. Wings of Ruin is a sequel to the 3DS title, which explores a more Pokémon-esque style of Monster Hunter, letting payers hatch monster eggs and fight other monsters. This game will be available on both Switch and PC, with Capcom stating that the game will have some elements linking to Monster Hunter Rise, perhaps taking place in the new Kamura Village featured in Rise.
Currently, Monster Hunter Rise is only available on Nintendo Switch. While a PC edition of the game is on the way, there is no news of yet another console port in the works, as Monster Hunter: World was released on PC, Xbox One, and PS4 to such great success. It would make sense for Capcom to broaden the scope of Rise for players to access, considering how well the game is already selling.
Monster Hunter Rise is available on Nintendo Switch.
Source: Capcom (via Nintendo Life)