Exoprimal director discusses bringing the might of Monster Hunter’s Rathalos to the co-op dino shooter

destructoid.com:

Exoprimal launched at an interesting time, to say the least. Hitting in a surprisingly packed summer window, just after the release of a Capcom giant in Street Fighter 6, it’s been quite the curiosity to follow.

To be up-front, I dig Exoprimal. Blasting apart hordes of dinosaurs with giant mech suits is already a good pitch on paper, and I spent a fair share of time carving through waves of prehistoric predators with my pals. While it takes some time to show its hand, there are some phenomenal moments and fights, especially as players advance deeper into its story through multiplayer missions, similar to the original Titanfall.

On Thursday, January 18, Exoprimal kicks off its third season with a bang: a Monster Hunter collaboration. The crossover brings over new Beta variant Exosuits, a new Neo Triceratops battle, Jungle map, and more. Plus, the infamous Rathalos is crossing over, adding another 10-player co-op boss through February 12.

Ahead of the crossover, we had a chance to send some questions over to Exoprimal director Takuro Hiraoka. In it, we talked a bit about the MonHun collab, designing the Rathalos fight, and how reception for Exoprimal has been thus far. Here’s how it all came together.

This collaboration marks the second Capcom crossover [the previous being Street Fighter]. Why did you decide on Monster Hunter, compared to other possible franchises?

The Exoprimal development team includes several members who have also worked on games in the Monster Hunter series. When coming up with ideas for Exoprimal’s post-launch updates, we thought we’d like to create Monster Hunter-themed content if Capcom collaborations were to happen. One of Exoprimal’s core combat tenets – the concept of working together with a team of allies to defeat a powerful enemy – fits well with the Monster Hunter series as well. This naturally made us think we’d be able to create an enjoyable gameplay experience where players can go head-to-head with a large monster from that