Monster Hunter World Switch Edition Would Be "Difficult," Capcom Says

Monster Hunter World launched in January for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and it got off to a hot start with some six million units shipped by Capcom's latest count. A PC edition is coming later this year, but could a Nintendo Switch edition follow? That's the question that Japanese publication Toyo Keizai asked Capcom president Haruhiro Tsujimoto in a recent interview.

The executive said Capcom is "aware" that some want to see Monster Hunter World come to Switch, according to a translation from Kotaku. The not-so-good news, however, is that bringing the title to Switch would be "difficult," Tsujimoto said. That's because, "The Switch has different functions from other stationary consoles as well as different players."

He added: "Each game console has its own characteristic, and it's necessary that we, as game makers, adapt to that when making [a game]." Tsujimoto said Capcom is committed to supporting the Switch with its games, teasing that this "also includes Monster Hunter."

Just before Monster Hunter World's launch in January, Capcom gave this explanation for why the game wasn't coming to Switch, at least not right away:

"We don't have any plans for the Switch at the moment," the publisher explained. "Part of the reason is that the title has been in development for almost four years. At the time we had to commit to our hardware choices, we decided on using the most powerful current generation consoles available at the time, which was PS4 and Xbox One. So [the decision was made] before the Switch was even announced or on sale.

"It's also because for every title we decide what [hardware is the best fit] for the concept. We don't just look at everything. It's more like, 'If we want to achieve this kind of game concept, where's the best place to achieve that?' For this title, the PS4 and Xbox One were the best fit for us."

An action role-playing game, Monster Hunter World has been compared by some, including us, to Bungie's Destiny. It is the first new core Monster Hunter entry to appear on consoles in the better part of a decade and--while still challenging--it's more welcoming of newcomers than previous installments. The game reached six million units shipped faster than any game in Capcom's history, though Capcom hasn't provided any sell-through data as of yet.

Monster Hunter World is a great place for newcomers to jump onboard with the series. It's also just a strong game in general, as you can read about in our Monster Hunter World review.