In October, as Capcom completed its months-long PR world tour with a Monster Hunter Wilds appearance at New York Comic Con, I managed to steal enough time to speak with Kaname Fujioka, the executive director and art director of Wilds. A section of our interview aired today during our PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted, where Fujioka explained the Monster Hunter team's hopes for Wilds, and how it's working to cement its place in the hearts of its newly-won mainstream audience.
"It's true, World has reached quite a lot of people," Fujioka said via interpreter. "Seeing people become fans of the game means a lot to us, because through Monster Hunter, we're able to express the game design and creativity that we value so much. And for people around the world to really understand it has really given us a lot of confidence."
Armed with that confidence, Capcom is setting out to make Wilds the best possible showcase for the core elements of Monster Hunter's appeal. "As for Wilds," Fujioka said, "we're really expanding on the parts that were appreciated in World and taking it even further."
In other words, it's Monster Hunter, but more—a pitch that, I'll confess, I find pretty compelling. According to Fujioka, doubling down on the successes of World is an effort to "make sure that those who became interested in World can truly become fans of the franchise."
Wilds is, in essence, the coup de grace in Capcom's two-stage sicko entrenchment program.
It's a strategy I can vouch for from personal experience: My own terminally Monster Hunter-pilled status was secured through a two-game arc during the franchise's 3DS years, where the initial fascination I'd built in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate was locked in by Monster Hunter Generations expanding the series formula.
Just as Generations brought a new rhythm to Monster Hunter combat with the addition of Hunter Arts, Wilds is adding a new spin on monster hunting with Focus Mode, which allows players to target wounded areas on a monster for punishing Focus Strike finishers.
Before, Fujioka said hunters generally just aimed for a monster's weak points. "Now with Focus Mode, when you notice a wound, you can aim at that wound to increase damage," Fujioka said. "This is only a small change to the overall gameplay, but it makes a game where your aim is constantly changing, and it's a way of playing the game in a far more detailed way."
Even as Wilds expands Monster Hunter's core gameplay, Fujioka explained that by working to add more depth to Monster Hunter's environments and monster behavior, Capcom hopes to reward players who enjoy more than just mastering combat.
"I always cherish the fact that people seem to be having fun playing the game, and that's what makes me happiest. Even people who don't seem to be good at action games seem to be having fun, or even if they get defeated by monsters they seem to be having fun just wandering around," Fujioka said. "When I see all these different aspects and each person finding different enjoyment in their own way, it really makes me appreciate the details we put into Monster Hunter which reflect that."
For Fujioka and the Monster Hunter team, the release of Wilds is an important landmark that closes out the series' 20th anniversary. "We are truly grateful that we have been able to continue making the game for 20 years thanks to your support, and we are also truly emotional about releasing Wilds which we created as a way to deliver the 20th anniversary," he said. "We are deeply moved, and I hope we can continue that feeling."
Monster Hunter Wilds launches on February 28, 2025.
