Monster Hunter Wilds Evolves with Open-World Exploration

Building on the phenomenal success of Monster Hunter World, Capcom is poised to redefine the series with Monster Hunter Wilds.

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A New Hunting Ground: An Open World Experience

Monster Hunter Wilds boldly reimagines the franchise, transporting epic hunts into a vibrant, interconnected world with a dynamic, real-time ecosystem.

In a recent Summer Game Fest interview, producer Ryozo Tsujimoto, executive director Kaname Fujioka, and director Yuya Tokuda revealed their vision for Wilds. The focus: seamless gameplay within an immersive, responsive environment.

Like its predecessors, Wilds casts players as hunters exploring uncharted territory, encountering new creatures and resources. However, the Summer Game Fest demo showcased a significant departure from the traditional mission structure. Gone are the segmented zones; in their place is a sprawling, open world inviting exploration, hunting, and environmental interaction.

"Seamlessness is fundamental to Monster Hunter Wilds," stated Fujioka. "We aimed to craft detailed, immersive ecosystems demanding a seamless world teeming with challenging monsters freely available for the hunt."

A Dynamic and Ever-Changing World

The demo highlighted desert settlements, diverse biomes, a variety of monsters, and hunter NPCs. This new approach eliminates timed missions, offering a more flexible hunting experience. Fujioka emphasized the importance of world interaction: "We focused on interactions like monster packs pursuing prey and their conflicts with human hunters. These characters exhibit 24-hour behavioral patterns, resulting in a more dynamic, organic feel."

Monster Hunter Wilds also incorporates real-time weather changes and fluctuating monster populations. Director Yuya Tokuda explained the technological advancements enabling this dynamic world: "Creating a massive, evolving ecosystem with numerous monsters and interactive characters presented a significant challenge. Simultaneous environmental changes—previously impossible—are now a reality."

The success of Monster Hunter World provided invaluable lessons shaping Wilds' development. Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto highlighted the significance of a global perspective: "We adopted a global mindset for Monster Hunter World, prioritizing simultaneous worldwide release and comprehensive localization. This global approach helped us consider players unfamiliar with the series and how to re-engage them."