Capcom Considers Cloud Gaming Expansion, Plans Major ‘Monster Hunter’ Push

By Brian Crecente

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Capcom’s biggest success in the past fiscal year, which ended on March 31, was “Monster Hunter: World” and the company plans to expand that game’s incredible launch through updates and real-world events, the company told investors last week.

“For ‘MHW,’ we plan to retain existing users through future updates to the title, while aiming to capture new players by carrying out pricing strategies. We will also work toward developing the player community through holding real-world events overseas, similar to those held in Japan,” according to the translated transcript of a Q&A the company conducted on Oct. 29.

The company added that it that as of Sept. 30, “: World” sold 10.7 million units, 70 percent of which were sold outside of Japan, but that it still sees room for growth specifically by focusing on the PC version of the game.

The company also spoke about its future plans for releasing cloud-versions of its games to systems like the Nintendo Switch. In May, released “Resident Evil 7” to the Nintendo console via cloud-based streaming technology. The game was available to rent, but required a solid internet connection to play.  When asked about the company’s future outlook on the technology, Capcom remained coy.

“While we did release a certain title supporting cloud gaming in the first half, this was done primarily for technological research purposes and did not have a significant impact on earnings,” it said. “Based on the results of this research, we will internally consider further expansion into cloud gaming.”

Finally, Capcom noted that while revised its estimates for mobile game sales downward, it doesn’t plan to change its strategy.

“The performance of existing titles was weaker than our expectations, and thus there was a downward revision for both the first half and the second half of the fiscal year; however, the amount for the second half is slightly larger,” it said. “While we have revised our mobile title lineup in light of the market environment, there will be no fundamental change in strategy.”