Niantic and Capcom launching Monster Hunter Now in September

gamesindustry.biz:

Capcom's Monster Hunter will be the next hit series to get the Niantic treatment, with location-based game Monster Hunter Now launching for mobile later this year.

The game will be developed and published by Niantic, and is due to arrive on the iOS App Store and Google Play in September. Registrations are now open for the beta test, which will kick off on Tuesday, April 25.

Monster Hunter Now builds upon the formula of previous Niantic titles such as Pokémon Go, with the series' monsters placed around the real-world via the in-game map. During a press briefing, Niantic's chief product officer Kei Kawai said Monster Hunter is a "perfectly natural fit" for the company's style of games.

"The series is all about collecting with friends, playing as a family, and making new friends. That's been a really important part of the IP for nearly two decades. The notion of majestic monsters roaming around the neighbourhood and cities was extremely compelling as a new real-world game."

Monster Hunter series producer Ryozo Tsujimoto added: "We are very pleased to be working with Niantic, who has the best AR technology in the world, to bring you a completely new Monster Hunter game. I can still remember when Niantic told me about this project, I immediately said 'Let's do it' without giving it a second thought."

The game has been in development for just under four years, following Niantic's visit to Capcom in March 2019 where it proposed the idea of making a Monster Hunter game together.

Niantic has taken steps to try and differentiate the new title from Pokémon Go; for example, while players can still fight beasts in AR mode – which superimposes their opponent over their real-world surroundings – the map has also been split into