It’s almost hard to believe it has been nearly seven years since Pokemon Go was first released. The augmented reality mobile game took the world by storm, garnering millions of players within days. And somehow, it’s still going strong in 2023. Today, however, we aren’t here to talk about Pokemon Go. We’re here to talk about Monster Hunter Now, which is a Monster Hunter version of Pokemon Go.
Currently in development by Niantic, the same team behind Pokemon Go, Monster Hunter Now appears to follow a similar formula. But instead of catching monsters, players will hunt them in the real world. A closed beta test sign-up is currently available and will be limited to an estimated 10,000 people. That beta test is scheduled to start April 25.
Although there aren’t very many details about the upcoming mobile game, Niantic did release a teaser trailer, which you can watch below. Monster Hunter Now will launch September 2023 and it will be interesting to see how well it does. Pokemon Go was a phenomenon because of how popular that franchise is. While Monster Hunter’s player base has grown since the release of Monster Hunter World, the franchise pales in comparison to Pokemon worldwide. Some could argue that Pokemon Go players tolerate Niantic’s monetization because it’s a Pokemon game; it might not be the same with Monster Hunter fans.
