Capcom’s Monster Hunter is coming to phones. The Japanese publisher announced a partnership with developer TiMi Studio Group to create a spinoff title that brings the franchise to mobile phone users.
Per the press release, the partnership will “combine the experiences and strengths of both sides, allowing Monster Hunter to scale to more platforms with an aim to give global hunters – experienced or new – the freedom to hunt as they desire, anytime and anywhere.”
TiMi has extensive mobile experience, which makes the studio a good fit. Since opening in 2008, the Tencent subsidiary has developed a plethora of games for phones, including Arena of Valor and Honor of Kings.
In terms of triple-A franchises, TiMi has also made mobile spinoffs for Nintendo’s Pokémon and Activision’s Call of Duty.
While this game won’t be the first time a Monster Hunter game has released on phones, it will be the first to “reproduce” the core gameplay of the mainline entries, particularly the more recent successes of Monster Hunter World and Monster Hunter Rise.
More franchises are going mobile
With how popular the mobile games market has become over the years, more console triple-A franchises are trying to establish themselves in that particular niche.
Activision Blizzard is making a play with two of its big franchises. Diablo Immortal released this past summer on mobile platforms to success, and is hoping that Call of Duty: Warzone players will want to play the battle royale shooter on their phones.
Though it may still be a ways off, Bungie seemingly has its eyes towards phones as well, if patents for Destiny 2 are anything to go by.
Even PlayStation, through an acquisition of mobile developer Savage Game Studios, wants to become a part of the mobile games world.