After Monster Hunter World made the series a global hit, Monster Hunter Wilds could be the first time Capcom finds itself hunting for audience. Despite debuting with a staggering 10 million sales in its first month, Wilds has fallen short of Capcom’s expectations. Executives confessed as much on their latest investor call, while hinting that the game has forced it to do some internal changes.
“Sales of Monster Hunter Wilds during the first quarter fell short of our initial expectations,” opened Capcom after stating that its Digital Contents section underperformed. The biggest contribution being Monster Hunter Wilds‘s disappointing sales; from 1 million concurrent PC players to a measly 42k today. The company added that it acknowledged that reviews for the game have been mixed, particularly on PC.
While console sales have stayed steady, Capcom has also leaned on discounts to keep Wilds moving. The company said it landed strongest in Asia, where players are more price-sensitive, and hinted at more sales ahead. But beyond price tweaks, Capcom stressed that it’s mobilizing its ‘entire company’ to respond more quickly to community feedback.
“Taking into account the wide range of feedback and opinions we have received from fans, we are working across the entire company — including development, management, sales and marketing, and other departments–to address issues wherever possible and apply these lessons moving forward,” the company wrote in the conference’s Q&A segment.
The first thing it’s going to do is to ‘swiftly’ improve user satisfaction through upcoming updates, Capcom said. The upcoming September and Winter Title Update 4 content and performance fix are expected to help soften the blow from weaker-than-expected after-launch sales.
Even so, Capcom’s bottom line remains strong. Resident Evil 4 Remake and Village surged thanks to the announcement of Requiem, while Devil May Cry 5 got a boost from its Netflix series. Street Fighter 6 even crossed five million units sold after updates, Switch 2 port, and a stronger esports push.
Combined, its games drove Digital Contents sales up 39.4% year-on-year, with operating profit climbing an impressive 56.4%. The company also leaned heavily on its ‘catalog,’ selling 13.36 million older games including World and Rise this quarter.
Still, admitting that Monster Hunter Wilds‘ sales has fallen short says a lot about the pressure riding on this series. Monster Hunter isn’t just another quirky, Japanese franchise anymore — it’s Capcom’s global flagship. With Wilds underperforming, the upcoming Title Updates and Master Rank expansion could be make-or-break for proving this entry still deserves the spotlight.
