Niantic’s Monster Hunter Now: Capturing Lightning in a Bottle Again
A Second Success for Niantic
After the phenomenal success of Pokémon Go, Niantic has spent the last seven years striving to replicate that triumph with another groundbreaking game. Despite developing various titles using popular IPs such as Pikmin, NBA, Harry Potter, and Transformers, as well as introducing original games like Ingress and Peridot, Niantic failed to achieve the same heights as Pokémon Go. However, everything changed in September 2023 when Niantic released Monster Hunter Now.
A New Era Dawns
Capcom’s Monster Hunter series has experienced tremendous growth over the past twenty years. Initially popular primarily in Japan, the franchise has now gained global recognition with over 94 million sales, a successful movie adaptation, and six main series installments. Notably, Monster Hunter Rise, released in 2021, became the biggest Nintendo Switch game of the year in Japan, selling over 12 million units worldwide.
In Japan, the popularity of the Monster Hunter series can be partly attributed to the country’s fondness for handheld gaming devices, which have traditionally been the platforms of choice for Monster Hunter games. Given the prevalence of mobile phones, the prospect of Monster Hunter Now, a Niantic-powered location-based augmented reality (AR) game featuring this globally recognized Japanese IP, seemed incredibly promising.
The Formula for Success
The combination of a beloved Japanese gaming IP (such as Monster Hunter or Pokémon) with Niantic’s innovative real-world AR gameplay has proven successful once again. Since its launch, Monster Hunter Now has already become Niantic’s second most popular game, surpassing 10 million downloads and counting. The game received three million pre-registrations, and exciting in-game events featuring formidable creatures like Diablos, Pink Rathian, and Halloween-themed monsters have attracted a growing number of players.
Competition, Not Saturation
Considering Monster Hunter Now’s strong start, industry experts are speculating whether Niantic has finally found another hit akin to Pokémon Go, especially in Japan where location-based games hold significant popularity. While it’s important to note that Pokémon Go generated $206.5 million in its first month, far surpassing Monster Hunter Now’s $31.44 million during the same timeframe, analysts at GameRefinery believe the game has still “hit the mark” by maintaining a position among the top 100 highest-grossing games on US app stores for its launch month.
Furthermore, Monster Hunter Now has not plummeted in popularity since its initial release. Although it has slipped into the top 200, it remains stable in the charts, outperforming Niantic’s previous game Peridot, which struggled to breach the top 200 at all.
Impressive Revenue Growth and Player Base
The first in-game event featuring Diablos resulted in a nearly 300% increase in Monster Hunter Now’s revenue, highlighting the game’s potential for monetization. While the game offers mostly free-to-play experiences, there are optional starter bundles and consumables available for purchase. Surprisingly, even though Japanese players only represent 14.32% of the game’s downloads, they contributed an astounding 68.66% of the game’s first-month revenue, as revealed by data from Diandian.
Unlike Pokémon Go’s release, Monster Hunter Now faces more competition in the genre. With titles like Dragon Quest Walk and Nobunaga’s Ambition: Departure, the market for location-based games has become increasingly competitive. However, experts at Sensor Tower believe that Monster Hunter Now has the potential to surpass Pokémon Go. They also emphasize that despite the competition, these location-based games can coexist by catering to different types of players.
A Growing Genre and Promising Future
The location-based gaming genre continues to expand, with the upcoming release of a geolocation Kingdom Hearts game. While the long-term success of Monster Hunter Now remains uncertain, Niantic’s previous title, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, experienced a strong launch but eventually shut down after two years. However, by staying true to its source material and keeping players engaged, Monster Hunter Now holds the potential to become one of the giants in the mobile gaming industry.