Why Monster Hunter Wilds Deserves an ‘Ultimate’ Edition, Not DLC

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In 2025, Capcom’s monster-hunting blockbuster, Monster Hunter Wilds, has proven itself as one of the year’s top-performing games. Building on the success of previous releases like Monster Hunter: World and Monster Hunter Rise, many anticipated that Wilds would be a hit for Capcom, both critically and commercially. Thankfully, the action role-playing game lived up to expectations. Released in February, Monster Hunter Wilds sold over 8 million copies within its first three days, setting a new record as Capcom’s fastest-selling game ever. However, the PC version of the game faced some technical issues on Steam, leading to mixed reviews. Overall, Wilds received high praise from most major gaming outlets.

Given the tremendous success of Monster Hunter Wilds for Capcom, fans are inquisitive about its future developments. While Capcom has unveiled some updates for Monster Hunter Wilds, including new monsters, collaborations, and seasonal events, they haven’t disclosed any DLC plans as of yet. Previous entries in the Monster Hunter series received significant expansions soon after their launch, leading fans to anticipate a similar approach with Wilds. However, instead of additional DLC content, it might be more advantageous for the company to provide an ‘Ultimate’ edition for Monster Hunter Wilds.

Capcom Should Launch an ‘Ultimate’ Edition for MH Wilds Instead of a Major Expansion

Early Monster Hunter Games Often Received Expanded, ‘Ultimate’ Editions Shortly After their Launches

In the past, Monster Hunter games were frequently updated and re-released soon after their initial launch on various platforms, a practice that started with the original game in 2004, Monster Hunter for PlayStation 2. Following its global release, an enhanced version of this game appeared on both PS2 and Wii in Japan approximately a year later. Similar treatments were given to subsequent games in the series, such as Monster Hunter Freedom Unite. It wasn’t until the arrival of Monster Hunter 3 in 2009 that Capcom started labeling these expanded editions as ‘Ultimate’.

In the 2010s, Capcom released expanded remakes of three unique “Monster Hunter” games from Nintendo. The first one was “Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate,” launched in 2011, which introduced significant enhancements to the original game, including underwater battles, new monsters, and a higher difficulty level known as G-Rank. In 2014, they followed up with “Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate,” offering approximately 30 new monsters, new abilities for Palico companions and equipment, and an entirely new desert region called the Dunes. Lastly, in 2017, Capcom unveiled “Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate” which introduced two new Hunting Styles, a revamped weapons upgrade system, and a new category of monsters known as Deviants.

In the Western world, the first version of “Monster Hunter 4” wasn’t launched, making it so that the only edition of the game available in English is “Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate”.

Starting With Monster Hunter Wilds, Capcom Stopped Making ‘Ultimate’ Version of Its Games

Following numerous years of producing ‘Ultimate’ editions for their games, Capcom opted to mix things up with Monster Hunter: World in 2019. Instead of releasing a traditional update, they introduced a substantial paid expansion for the game titled MH World: Iceborne. This expansion included many elements that would typically be found in Capcom’s ‘Ultimate’ editions, such as a Master Rank difficulty level (or G-Rank) and an abundance of new monsters. Similar to its 2022 successor, Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, the focus of this expansion was primarily on a fresh storyline rather than altering the main game campaign.

If Capcom Does Make a MH Wilds Ultimate Edition, It Could Release it Alongside a Switch 2 Port

Given that Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak is still quite fresh, it currently lacks many features typically added to Monster Hunter games following their launch, like Master Rank levels. Capcom might incorporate this content into a Monster Hunter Rise: Ultimate Edition, potentially releasing it concurrently with a Nintendo Switch 2 port of the game. This would allow players on Nintendo systems to enjoy Monster Hunter Rise in its entirety without having to spend extra $30 for DLC, while also addressing some of the issues raised about the base game.

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2025-05-17 06:34