Niantic’s newest AR sport Monster Hunter Now might be the most popular new title of the previous month, with spectacular pre-install numbers and 10 million downloads to date serving to to push the sport past something we’ve seen from the developer since 2016’s Pokémon Go.
Encouraging much more folks to get searching, Niantic has now revealed the sport’s first seasonal occasion, with the Halloween Pumpkin Hunt happening from 25 – 31 October. Beforehand the sport has held shorter promo occasions – Diablos and Pink Rathian – designed to spice up return visits and sustained play.
Let’s get carving
Whereas removed from the one sport to be celebrating Halloween, this does mark an essential milestone for Monster Hunter Now as its first seasonal in-game occasion. Niantic has promised that Jack-o’-Lanterns (or simply pumpkins, to us Brits) will seem throughout the in-game subject and particular Halloween-exclusive tools can be accessible to craft.
From 28 October as much as Halloween, gamers may additionally discover distinctive Kulu-Ya-Ku out within the wild wandering round with pumpkin rocks in hand. If these Kulu-Ya-Ku battle like normal, they may use the spooky rocks as each a defend and a weapon.
Fortuitously, not like the latest Pink Rathian occasion that required main story progress and an enormous playtime dedication to unlock, the Halloween occasion can be accessible to gamers of a a lot decrease in-game stage, making it extra believable for brand spanking new gamers to leap in and smash some pumpkin rocks. Additionally, whereas the Pink Rathian occasion didn’t include any particular quests, Halloween marks the return of particular quests for gamers to finish, offering but another excuse to get searching.
The sources of success
Monster Hunter Now formally launched 5 weeks in the past in mid September, showcasing the facility of a partnership between Capcom’s common IP and Niantic’s AR and geolocation tech. The cell sport has made $31.44 million to date with Japan proving to be its largest market; whereas solely 14.32% of the playerbase relies in Japan, the area accounts for a formidable 68.66% of income to date.
The US has the most important set up base, in the meantime, containing nearly a fifth of all gamers – but solely represents 8.28% of the sport’s complete income.
As Niantic’s first large sport to be bolstered by an present IP for the reason that finish of the pandemic, Now seems to have come on the good time. Rise, the franchise’s newest entry on consoles and PC, has seen large success with over 12 million items bought; DLC and multi-platform releases have additionally helped preserve the franchise related as much as Now’s launch as a cell unique.
Now additionally interprets the sequence’ tried-and-tested gameplay components cleanly onto cell, with a devoted fight system, weapon crafting and, after all, monster searching.
All these elements have mixed into what has rapidly grow to be a smash hit for this Prime 50 Sport Maker, with Monster Hunter Now already rising to the standing of second-biggest Niantic sport, solely behind Pokémon Go.
