Niantic’s Monster Hunter game launches in September

polygon.com:

Monster Hunter Now, the augmented reality take on Capcom’s hit monster-hunting series from Pokémon Go developer Niantic, will launch on Sept. 14, the two companies have announced.

Players can pre-register for the iOS and Android mobile game at the official Monster Hunter Now website; for their trouble, they’ll be rewarded with in-game bonuses that scale up according to the number of people who sign up. If 500,000 people sign up, everyone gets 10 potions and 3 paintballs (paintballs are used to mark monsters you encounter on your travels to hunt later at home). If 5 million sign up, everyone gets 10,000 Zenny and a 1,000-slot inventory expansion; that’s a lot of space for your monster parts.

In a video showcase revealing the release plans, the developers provided a definitive rundown of which monster and weapon types from the much-loved action role-playing game series will be featured in the new mobile game. At launch, the available weapon types will include:

And the monsters players will be tracking down and battling as they take a lunchtime stroll will be:

Niantic has struggled to find another vehicle as well suited to its brand of location-based gaming as Pokémon, despite launching games with such high-profile licenses as Harry Potter, Marvel, and the NBA. Its recently released pet sim Peridot has failed to make much of an impression, despite a charming premise and some impressive technology. In June, Niantic announced that it was laying off staff, shuttering some games, and concentrating on Pokémon Go.

But Monster Hunter Now could be the game to reverse the trend. The monster-hunting concept is a natural fit for Niantic’s map-based approach, and going by the game’s closed beta test, it plays well. Capcom was