I want you to pause and re-read that headline again. Capcom, one of the most influential game developers of the past 30+ years, creators of mega franchises like Street Fighter and Resident Evil, has just had its sales record smashed. Monster Hunter World, which was released in January of 2018, has broken 14 million sales shortly after the release of its major DLC, Iceborne, as reported by the official Twitter page.
Monster Hunter has always been one of Capcom’s more niche franchises, especially in North America, as the entries from PS2 to 3DS had carved out some modest success. The franchise’s previous top seller was Monster Hunter Freedom 3 on the PSP with 4.9 Million in sales. Monster Hunter’s previous sales are certainly nothing to scoff at, but they’ve not exactly made the brand a household name.
That is until World and its newcomer friendly attitude. Previous games in the series could be seen as having a steep learning curve that pushes away incoming players to the series. In World, the mechanics are laid out in an accessible manner, there are guides readily available, and the ease of matchmaking online make taking down your first monsters a blast any level of gamer can enjoy.
This type of accessibility has helped propel Monster Hunter World to the very top of the sales charts for Capcom. Technically, Street Fighter 2 and all of its remakes and ports combined have sold more than Monster Hunter World’s 14 million. When it comes to just a base game’s performance, World has been an excellent sales performer and with the addition of the Iceborne DLC and many more to come, World is providing all of the gigantic monster slaying you could dream of.
