The handheld wars this time around were over before they even began, and a large part of that had to do with Monster Hunter. The venerable franchise was a PSP exclusive last generation, and managed to keep the PSP alive just long enough for the system to be a viable alternative to the DS juggernaut for both, developers and consumers. However, when Nintendo secured Monster Hunter for the 3DS, along with its own existing stable of proven handheld sellers, the Vita had no chance- and indeed, it has flailed in the market since.
There has been tons of speculation on why Monster Hunter 4 wasn’t on Vita, everything from ‘Nintendo moneyhatted it’ to ‘Sony not courting third parties.’ Now, we have some more light shed on the issue by Capcom COO Haruhiro Tsujimoto in an interview about the game, where he made it clear that there are no plans to release it on Sony’s handheld.
“Games have ideal release periods, which also determine when their development begins. This resulted in our judgment of seeing the 3DS as the most desirable platform for Monster Hunter 4,” says Tsujoimoto, reports CVG.
He did mention multiplatform development and how it was ideal for most players, but went on to clarify that “there are no plans for now to release Monster Hunter 4 on the PS Vita. Capcom is thinking only about wanting as many people as possible to play it on the 3DS, and we are only thinking about making it succeed.”
Monster Hunter 4 will begin the fourth generation in Capcom’s flagship franchise. It is due for the 3DS in Japan in September. A western release has not yet been announced, but considering the eighteen month gap between the Japanese release of 3 Ultimate and its western release, it might be a while before we get to see the game here.
