Capcom Explains Why Monster Hunter World Isn't on the Nintendo Switch

Part of loving the Switch is knowing it can't have everything.

News by Nadia Oxford, Staff Writer

Updated on 21 March 2019

For as often as we joke "Everything should be on the Nintendo Switch!", we know in our heart of hearts that porting everything to Nintendo's console / handheld hybrid isn't a great idea. Graphically-intensive games aren't always a good match for the Switch, for instance.

It therefore comes as little surprise to learn Capcom currently has no plans to bring Monster Hunter World to the Switch. For one thing, Capcom started development of the game four years ago—quite some time before the Nintendo Switch was announced. For another, Monster Hunter World demands the kind of processing power the Switch struggles with.

The directors of Monster Hunter World, Kaname Fujioka and Yuya Tokuda, talked to IGN about the game's absence on the Switch in an interview published yesterday.

"I can't even PLAY Switch, my arms are too small. Hey, come back here and listen to me complain!"

"[Monster Hunter World] has been in development for almost four years. At the time we had to commit to our hardware choices, we decided on using the most powerful current generation consoles available at the time, which was PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. So [the decision was made] before the Switch was even announced or on sale."

That's not to say there's zero chance Monster Hunter World will end up on the Switch at some point, but the idea doesn't appear to be at the forefront of Capcom's priorities. "[F]or every title we decide what the best fit for hardware is for the concept. We don't just look at everything. It's more like “if we want to achieve this kind of game concept, where's the best place to achieve that?” and for this title the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were the best fit for us."

The Switch isn't lacking Monster Hunter representation, though—at least not in Japan, where players can pick up the Nintendo Switch version of Monster Hunter XX. Given Capcom's recent vow to support the Switch, I don't doubt we'll see more Monster Hunter prowling on the system before long. If you want to play Monster Hunter World, though, you'll have to sign onto a platform with a little more power.

Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. See our terms & conditions.

Nadia Oxford

Staff Writer

Nadia has been writing about games for so long, only the wind and the rain (or the digital facsimiles thereof) remember her true name. She's written for Nerve, About.com, Gamepro, IGN, 1UP, PlayStation Official Magazine, and other sites and magazines that sling words about video games. She co-hosts the Axe of the Blood God podcast, where she mostly screams about Dragon Quest.