Monster Hunter: World is the latest entry in the Japanese action RPG series. With simplified controls and refined mechanics, Capcom has made an effort to open the game up to a Western audience. Given that the franchise found its success on Nintendo platforms, however, some fans have questioned why the title won’t be available on the Switch.
To find out the answer, IGN interviewed the directors of the game, Kaname Fujioka and Yuya Tokuda. They explained that the lengthy development cycle is largely the reason World won’t be launching on a Nintendo console, hinting that a lack of processing power would undermine the experience.
We don’t have any plans for the Switch at the moment. Part of the reason is that the title has been in development for almost 4 years. At the time we had to commit to our hardware choices, we decided on using the most powerful current generation consoles available at the time, which was Playstation 4 and Xbox One. So [the decision was made] before the Switch was even announced or on sale.
The quote suggests that a Switch version hasn’t been ruled out for the future, but it’s more likely that Monster Hunter XX, an enhanced port of the 3DS’ Generations, will be localized before that happens. Until Capcom announces any further plans for the series, Nintendo fans craving the hunt will just have to put down their spears or change platforms.
Monster Hunter: World releases on PS4 and Xbox One on January 26th. A PC version is due later in the year.
