Two years ago, Capcom announced it was partnering with mobile developer (and Tencent-owned) TiMi on a Monster Hunter phone game—a partnership that has resulted in the newly revealed Monster Hunter Outlanders.
As in the mainline and handheld titles, players will be tasked with tracking down and eliminating monsters, either on their own or with others. The iOS and Android title marks the first go at bringing the series’ core gameplay to mobile audiences.
“It’s time for mobile players to fully enjoy what makes Monster Hunter one of the most beloved franchises in games,” said TiMi producer Dong Huang. “Monster Hunter Outlanders not only offers players an authentic hunting experience, but it does it in a massive open world featuring the community and social systems players are looking for today.”
No release date for Outlanders was set, but TiMi said it plans to have several playtests ahead of its launch.
Big franchises’ brave new mobile futures
Console and PC games are trying different ways to expand their reach, and mobile is becoming a popular avenue. It wasn’t that long ago that Bungie revealed it and NetEase were partnering on Destiny: Rising, a spinoff of the popular sci-fi shooter.
TiMi has had a hand in several mobile spinoffs for major triple-A franchises, including Pokémon, Age of Empires, and Call of Duty. Other phone games under the Tencent subsidiary’s belt include Honor of Kings and Arena of Valor.
For Capcom, Monster Hunter Outlanders comes at an opportune time: the series as a whole has seen increased sales and interest ahead of Monster Hunter Wilds (the series’ next mainline entry) launching in February 2025.
And for Tencent, it may help CEO Pony Ma feel like the company has achieved something whenever the game releases.