The first Hunter × Hunter game to reach Western shores is on its way later in 2024, and fans should be looking forward to it. Hunter × Hunter: Nen × Impact recently picked up an overseas publisher in Arc System Works America alongside the announcement of H×H regular Biscuit Krueger joining the cast, and it is set to launch on PC, PS5, and Nintendo Switch later this year. When remains up in the air, but with 2024 half over, the wait for Hunter × Hunter: Nen Impact's remaining fighters and features should be brief.

Nen × Impact is a 3v3 2D fighting game by Eighting, the fighting game powerhouse responsible for Bloody Roar, Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom, DNF Duel, and plenty more. Its roster might start low despite that pedigree, with the current implication being sixteen Hunter × Hunter fighters at launch, but hands-on impressions so far make this sound like a worthy successor to Eighting's Vs. Capcom titles. However, the game has been having some trouble selling that, and it will need to figure out a better approach before it's out.

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Hunter X Hunter: Nen X Impact Reveals Release Window and New Character

Bushiroad Games and Eighting reveal Hunter X Hunter: Nen X Impact's release window, along with a brand-new character for the roster.

Hunter × Hunter: Nen × Impact Needs To Advertise Itself More

Bushiroad Games, the main publisher of Hunter × Hunter: Nen × Impact, has a rather unfortunate policy when it comes to funding console games. According to a Bushiroad financial presentation held in August 2023, the publisher intends to invest one hundred million yen, which is approximately $650,000 USD, in each of its console titles for the ongoing fiscal year. For reference, the average contemporary AA PS5 game can get tens of millions of dollars worth of budget to keep a moderately large team in business for several years, and then market their work. This doesn't mean anything good for Nen × Impact.

Hunter × Hunter: Nen × Impact Lacks Strong Marketing

While unconfirmed, this H×H game's early previews and advertising scream “low budget.” Seeing Nen × Impact’s gameplay for the first time typically puts people off with its empty backgrounds and rough models, especially compared to the gorgeous Dragon Ball and Naruto games Bandai Namco tends to publish. What's worse is that its advertising has been mostly done by inviting top players to try the game, hosting limited-placement demo kiosks, and directly posting news and trailers on social media. Arc System Works America could help, but even its job is just localizing and releasing the game. When Nen × Impact finally announces which remaining month in 2024 it launches, it could be in trouble, and not just from within.

Launching In 2024 Is Risky For Hunter × Hunter: Nen × Impact

With a likely EVO 2024 trailer taking July out of the question, Hunter × Hunter: Nen × Impact only has five months left to launch without a delay, and those months are full of landmines. The largest and most obvious one is Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero's mid-October release, which has a casual shonen demographic that likely overlaps with Hunter × Hunter’s own. Even if they play totally differently, the competitive focus and lack of the traditional Shonen Jump flair in Nen × Impact means it could lose a lot of players to this wish-granting Dragon Ball game if they release too close together.

Even In Its Own Genre, Nen × Impact Isn't Safe

However, that's only the visible landmine. Depending on how announcements shake out, Nen × Impact could end up sharing a month with Marvel Vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics, which hosts the 3v3 tag fighter superstar Marvel Vs. Capcom 2. At-home playtesting for the League of Legends fighter, 2XKO, running near H×H’s release also risks paralleling the time a May 2016 Overwatch beta smothered Battleborn by launching on the same day. Hunter × Hunter: Nen × Impact is in a rough spot, but playing smart and making some noise could still win it the day.

Hunter x Hunter