20 years on, Monster Hunter Wilds’ devs reflect on the series’ console co-op journey: “The world caught up with our vision”
From its debut on the PS2, teamwork has been a key aspect that sets the Monster Hunter series apart. As director Yuya Tokuda explains, it was one of the first online games, but the complexities of the PS2’s internet made it less popular. Instead, it was the handheld versions of the game that truly propelled Monster Hunter to fame. For many players, these portable titles, where they could gather with friends, were what initially drew them into the series. Tokuda further notes that the subsequent PSP games introduced local LAN and WLAN play as new features, which seemed more fitting for handheld devices. After this, when the series returned to online play, it was essentially revisiting its roots.