In a recent interview with IGN,Monster Hunter Riseproducer Ryozo Tsujimoto and director Yasunori Ichinose shared some insight on how the games will be named moving forward. From the interview, it seems thatCapcom is opting to move past the numbered nomenclaturethat fans are used to in favor of more descriptive titles.
WhenMonster Hunter Risewas revealed at the Tokyo Game Show, fans were caught off guard. Some expected to seeMonster Hunter 5or evenMonster Hunter World 2, but they were instead treated to an entirely new game. It seems in the future this may become the norm.
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Up until therelease ofMonster Hunter Generations, each game was titled with a number that let players know where in the franchise it fit. This theme varied a little bit, with names likeMonster Hunter TriandFreedom Unitebreaking the mold slightly, but never to the extent that is happening now.
To be fair, this change makes a lot of sense when looked at from an objective perspective. The titleMonster Hunter 5tells fans nothing about what to expect from the game. It could an identical clone of the previous game or vastly different, but the name does it a disservice by not highlighting its differences. By contrast, players know getting intoMonster Hunter Worldto expect a much bigger experience with wide open areas and a larger scope than the games that came before it. Likewise,Monster Hunter Riseinforms players that verticality will be a big featurein the upcoming game.
A lot of other games have fallen into the habit of numbering their releases as well, with perhaps the most notorious example being theFinal Fantasyfranchise. After therecent PS5 reveal of the newestFinal Fantasy, there are a grand total of 16 numbered entries in the franchise, and that’s not even including those games which received direct sequels likeFinal Fantasy X-2. What makes this especially bizarre is thatFinal Fantasygames differ from one entry to the next vastly, so much so that they often take place in completely different universes, but numbers are used instead of words to describe them.
It’s unclear how long thistrend will stick for theMonster Hunterfranchise, but it seems that Capcom intends for it to hang around. Having more informative titles is probably a good move, as it will help players differentiate between the different games moving forward.
Monster Hunter Risewill be available on Jun 24, 2025 for Nintendo Switch.
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