Capcom taps Niantic to give Monster Hunter the Pokemon Go treatment

Capcom and Niantic have joined forces to give Monster Hunter the Pokemon Go treatment.

Monster Hunter Now, an AR mobile title that aims to "bring the exciting experience of Monster Hunter to streets, parks, and neighborhoods around the world," is currently slated to launch in September 2023.

The game is being distributed by Niantic and licensed by Capcom and will soon debut in closed beta form.

Capcom said it partnered with Niantic to deliver a "here and right now" hunting experience that can be played casually. Monster Hunter Now has been built using Niantic's Lightship platform and, like many of the company's other titles, uses location-based technology and AR razzmatazz that overlays creatures onto the real world.

Monster Hunter Go?

The game also boasts features that will allow people to play when and where they want, including a new item called the Paintball that can be used to bring a monster back home and hunt it alone or with friends. "Even when you’re walking around without playing the game, your companion can mark any monsters you pass by with the Paintball, so you can enjoy hunting them even after returning home," added Niantic.

The news comes less than a year after Niantic announced it would be laying off 8 percent of its workforce and cancelling four in-development projects.

In a letter sent to employees in June 2022, Niantic CEO John Hanke said the company was facing a time of "economic turmoil" and as a result had decided to streamline its operations so it could weather the storm.

Two of those cancelled titles, Transformers Heavy Metal and Hamlet, had already been publicly announced. The remaining two were unannounced projects referred to as "Blue Sky" and "Snowball."