First of all, the community for Monster Hunter is made up of every user with a PS5, those eagerly awaiting the release of Wilds, the people I feel the most sympathy for in the gamer community, and nobody has missed out on the recent stir of Capcom’s CEO, Haruhiro Tsujimoto. Japan has set a steep price of 80,000 Yen for the PS5 console which, for the so-called “PS5 price barrier”, is unexpectedly high. Compared to the current costs, the modern gamer is stretched quite thin. To those unaware, 80,000 regional currency units equate to over 500 dollars.
Now, I will voice my disbelief, and it will be in the context of Capcom and for Tsujimoto himself who has the executive ability to indeed make the most outrageous statement. The issue surrounding the PS5 console costing a lot is, in my experience, not being handled properly. Tsujimoto is being inflexible about the growth of this issue while other people continue to brush on the matter. This indeed is a real issue, just for perspective, Wilds is already exceeding 10 million units sold, so there’s no real worry about the game flopping. So while a cursory glance would have me doubt the matter, I can say more than enough that the PS5 cost’s struggle remains the main concern in Japan.
Looking back at the tweet and the follow-up comments, there is much bewilderment. Most comments seem to be retorting, “PS5 is a global product, Wills is global, why is he blaming PS5?” On the other hand, there are comments that Sony has been neglecting the Japanese fans. The PlayStation brand being weak in Japan is real, as Japan’s number one videocontent platform is Nintendo, with PC coming in second. Comparing Japan to other regions, their allegations of the “less relevant PlayStation” seems off, as the rise of Nintendo and PC gaming is constant.
Focusing on the criticisms about Wilds, there seems to be a split on which side of “way too easy” the grind was for armour and weapons. Defenders of the grind say one can only defend so much and compare “Rise to Wilds.” Defenders say one must defend Wilds so much as to say that other products are “baby games.” For a completely different area of the “defender camp,” another person came to the same conclusion of Wilds needing the grind, only under the “wound system” that the monsters became punching bags. The Monster Hunter community NEVER runs low on disputes, it is truly astonishing.
Speaking of the PS5’s price, Japan is the only region where the console costs the least. Someone mentioned that although Japan is the only country where the PS5 is the cheapest, it’s not advantageous like Europe is. Either way, paying 80,000 yen for a gaming console is relatively steep, considering that it has been largely replaced by PC in Japan, especially with the high horsepower offered by the platform. So maybe Capcom is seeing the trend and is afraid of the console fence for their AAA game.
Some of the community seem to be over the supposed excuses. Responding to someone, “Ngl…tired of people making arguments to defend broke mfs. Get your money up and stop complaining.” which, admittedly, comes across as a bit rude, but it does seem to be a bit funny. On the other hand, someone else stated something along the lines of Capcom making a Monster Hunter Wilds PS5 limited edition for marketing, which sounds neat in my opinion.
Capcom has the unfortunate title of being the “losing side” of the ongoing console war, and at the same time giving one of the best third-party support to PlayStation. To add, Monster Hunter Wild’s is slowly becoming one of the essential PS5 exclusives, hence, creating more weight towards the already huge shift in the industry towards streaming. It puts this modern situation of ours in a whole new light; the executive is discussing console costing matters even though the company owns one of the hottest titles of the generation. It creates an interesting paradox where seeing the product succeed in doing the impossible would mean a complete recovery of said modern situation.
The economies of scale have long ceased to function effectively, fueling the popular video games and hobbies sector. I consider it noteworthy that there lies certain relief with reducing expectations and shrugging the accusations of “selling fewer copies” for Monster Hunter Wilds‘ notoriety. However, accepting the truth that the cost to acquire the PS5 is a barrier for a game champion of the marketing cycle, it is tough in every way. Capcom executives may be confronting the gaming industry’s reality; however, considering the rhetoric, many marketers believe the company is fabricating justifications.
Assuming Capcom’s silence, the problem being a deterrent is acknowledged. The reason Capcom has refrained from public statements concerning this issue is speculation. These, coupled with speculations about cosplay, is what’s devoted the core of this social discourse. The conversation is, however, focused on Capcom’s price and retail products, and the art of the video game. Twitter is already a hotbed of incessant shouting, and just as much devoid of the complaints to begin with.
While Monster Hunter Wilds is a notable success, there is still the matter of the price barrier, an issue that the console makers, as well as the developers, need to address. For it to be publicly addressed by the CEO of Capcom, this matter is indeed concerning. As you mentioned, the PS5’s exorbitant pricing will likely deter people from playing Wilds, a phenomenon I expect to be quite common among them. People would love to play Wilds, but the steep console pricing they face might be overshadowing their Wilds cravings — the console price is the real enemy while Wilds is just an afterthought.
Oops! What was I saying? Oh yes! The cost of the PS5! It’s substantial! And here we have Capcom recognizing this. That’s all the latest news. I’ll now proceed to hunt monsters, or whatever else it is that I do.
