Monster Hunter is one of the most popular franchises in the world. It was always a big seller in Japan, but it never saw the same amount of hype in other regions. This was the norm until Monster Hunter World proved to be a breakout worldwide hit. As of October 2021, it has sold 20 million units, and currently holds the title of Capcom’s best-selling game.
Monster Hunter Rise launched on the Switch last year, and a PC port was released earlier this month. Shortly after, Capcom announced that Monster Hunter Rise had sold over 8 million copies. While there is no word on a possible Xbox version of Monster Hunter Rise, new rumors suggest that Microsoft is working on its own take on the Monster Hunter franchise.
A Monster Hunter clone is reportedly under development at Certain Affinity. Jeff Grubb, who has proven to be a trusted source on several occasions, first hinted at this news, and it was later confirmed by Jez Corden from Windows Central. Certain Affinity is known for working on the multiplayer component of various Halo games and other third-party titles, with Halo Infinite being its most recent release.
Certain Affinity has been supporting other developers for years now, and it’s great to see the studio working on a new game. While it seems like Certain Affinity’s specialty lies in competitive multiplayer, it will be interesting to see how the developer tackles a co-op game like Monster Hunter. According to Corden’s sources, this game is codenamed Project Suerte, and Microsoft is aiming for a release in 2024. As expected, this release date can drastically change as development progresses.
A game inspired by Monster Hunter sounds like a perfect fit for Xbox Game Pass. Microsoft had recently announced that Xbox Game Pass has 25 million subscribers, and many expect this number to grow exponentially in the coming years. Xbox Game Pass has already had a great start to 2022, and fans are excited about the future as Microsoft continues to acquire new studios. Whenever Project Suerte launches, it will not be surprising to see a massive number of players online on release day.
Other developers have released Monster Hunter clones before, but none have been able to capture the audience at the same level. Fans do that want to try other games like Monster Hunter should take a look at Dauntless, Toukiden 2, and the God Eater franchise.
Project Suerte is rumored to be in development for Xbox consoles.