Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G Dominates Japanese Market

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In Japan, it's the best-selling PSP game ever, part of Capcom's current leading franchise, and was the #1 selling title across all platforms last year. Its name is Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G. Yes, really.

In a press release today, Capcom has revealed that the massively popular handheld title has now shipped over 3 million units in Japan, which makes it a blockbuster success on all possible levels. It was the first title to utilize SCEJ's "adhoc Party" option, which allows people to play with each other across a network. In fact, Capcom calls multiplayer the "heart and soul" of the game, as this new feature has introduced "a new level of communication and interactivity." If you really aren't convinced, the statement goes on to say that since the game's launch, it "has become a major phenomenon with people in all walks of life." Furthermore, March 11, 2009 marks the franchise's 5th anniversary of the very first Monster Hunter title, and the publisher has every intention of continuing to push the name of "Monster Hunter" through the roof. As of December 31, 2008, installments in the series have topped 8.5 million in sales, and that's one hell of an impressive statistic. Well, perhaps Japanese gaming tastes haven't really changed that significantly after all...

The question is, how might Capcom make Monster Hunter a worldwide success? Or is that even possible? ...perhaps the better question, in light of these recent numbers, is, "is it even necessary?"

Related Game(s): Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G

2/12/2009 Ben Dutka

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