Capcom launched Monster Hunter Now, a location-based AR game built in collaboration with Niantic, accessible on iOS and Android smartphones.

Monster Hunter Now brings elements of Capcom’s Monster Hunter series' with Niantic’s development technology, allowing players to hunt lifelike monsters that appear in the real world. Features include teaming up with other players for hunts and battling monsters encountered and crafting armor and gear as upgrades. 

The game has garnered significant interest, with over three million pre-registrations and a closed beta test that saw applications surpass available spots. Capcom aims to expand the Monster Hunter experience to a wider global audience through continued collaboration with Niantic.

Analyst QuickTake: The significant number of pre registrations for the game showcases future potential, following the launch of Niantic’s geolocation AR pet simulator game, Peridot in May 2023 (which failed to live up to critics’ expectations). Notably, users cited a slower pace of gameplay compared to Niantic’s hit game, Pokémon Go, and the monetary cost in hatching new virtual pets.