While PokémonGO is still Niantic’s most popular game, the company is trying to diversify its games portfolio by announcing a new game. Niantic today announced a partnership with Capcom to launch a game in the Monster Hunter franchise on mobile later this year.
The company said the game will be called Monster Hunter Now and will launch on both iOS and Android in September. And players will have to “hunt monsters in the real world,” according to the official website.
You can currently use the official Twitter account of the game and sign up for the closed beta on the website. The developers said on the website that they will be sharing invitations with about 10,000 people starting April 25.
The companies haven’t shared many details on how the game would work, but given that it’s a Niantic title, you can expect to get out and about and go to different places to slay different monsters, earn materials, forge weapons, and progress in the game.
“Players take on the role of a hunter and team up with fellow players to take down the world’s fiercest monsters, adding a social element to the exhilarating experience,” Niantic said in a press release.
The game limits battles with monsters to 75 seconds and humans can use both landscape and portrait modes to play.
So far, Niantic has done its best with non-Pokémon games like NBA All World, Pikmin Bloom, and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. That last game was discontinued in 2021. Last year, the company cut 8% of its staff and canceled four projects, including a Transformers game.
Last April, Niantic introduced a beta of a game called Peridot that allows users to care for and walk virtual pets. The game is now out on May 9.