Capcom: PS5 Game Prices Impact Monster Hunter Wilds Sales

Capcom has reported that the PlayStation 5's high entry cost is impacting sales of Monster Hunter Wilds.

Monster Hunter Wilds saw a phenomenal launch in February, breaking Capcom records with 10.1 million copies sold globally—8 million of those within just its first three days. According to Circana, it rapidly became the best-selling game in the United States year-to-date.

Yet, for the quarter ending June 30th, Monster Hunter Wilds sold 477,000 copies, a figure only marginally higher than the 389,000 units sold by the four-year-old title Monster Hunter Rise. Within Capcom's sales rankings for the quarter, Wilds placed ninth, while Rise came in tenth.

In its consolidated financial results, Capcom stated, "For catalog titles, while sales for Monster Hunter Wilds—the latest series entry released this February—were subdued, the previous title Monster Hunter Rise continued to show steady sales growth."

As covered by Automaton, Capcom President Haruhiro Tsujimoto informed Nikkei Gaming that the upfront cost to play Monster Hunter Wilds on a PS5 is "quite significant." The company had initially projected the PlayStation 5 as the primary sales platform for the game's launch.

Here's the report from Automaton:

In an interview with Nikkei Gaming, Tsujimoto revealed that Capcom considered the PlayStation 5 as Monster Hunter Wilds’ main platform when estimating the game’s initial sales figures. But accounting for the console, accessories, and monthly subscriptions like PlayStation Plus, the total cost for a PS5 amounts to about 100,000 JPY (roughly $677 USD). Add in Monster Hunter Wilds’ starting price of $70, and some players will opt for older, more complete entries in the series—such as Monster Hunter World (which sells for as low as $9.89 USD) and Monster Hunter Rise ($9.99 USD)—instead of purchasing a new console for a game that currently offers less content. Considering many gamers are young and lack a consistent income, Tsujimoto admits the cost of entry to play Monster Hunter Wilds on a PS5 is rather steep.

The situation for PS5 gaming was compounded last month when Sony announced a $50 price increase for the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 5 Digital Edition, and PlayStation 5 Pro. The standard PS5 with a disc drive rose to $549.99, the Digital Edition increased to $499.99, and the PS5 Pro now retails for $749.99. This price adjustment took effect in the U.S. on August 21st.

"Similar to many global businesses, we continue to navigate a challenging economic environment," said Isabelle Tomatis, Sony Interactive Entertainment's Vice President of Global Marketing, in a statement. "Consequently, we have made the difficult decision to raise the recommended retail price for PlayStation 5 consoles in the U.S. starting August 21."

The comments from Tsujimoto did not touch upon pricing for Xbox consoles.

So, what is the potential solution? Discounts appear to be one path forward, alongside expanding the game's content via updates. A future launch on the highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 could also provide a significant boost.

Of course, dedicated players of Monster Hunter Wilds may have their own perspectives on why the game hasn't maintained the same sales momentum as its predecessors. After receiving strong initial reviews, Wilds' endgame content has been widely criticized as lacking compared to previous titles. It is also grappling with significant performance problems on PC that remain unresolved. Despite the introduction of new content and seasonal updates, many fans remain dissatisfied with the game's state, to the extent that some players have crossed a line, reportedly harassing and threatening individual members of the Capcom development team.

On Steam, Monster Hunter Wilds currently holds a 'Mixed' rating based on all user reviews, while recent reviews are categorized as 'Mostly Negative.'