The way that Sony prices its console has been a popular subject of discussion lately as the US tariffs led to a price hike of all PS5 models in the country. Now, Capcom president Haruhiro Tsujimoto has suggested that the low sales of Monster Hunter Wilds might be due to the way that the PS5 is priced.
This might come as a surprise to those who remember Monster Hunter Wilds as Capcom’s fastest selling title, moving eight million copies in three days when it was released. Since then, however, sales became much more sluggish, resting today at around ten million units sold despite it coming out back in February.
Economic conditions
However, in the interview with Nikkei Gaming, Tsujimoto wasn’t blaming the PS5 pricing alone, but rather the whole economy around games that can make it unaffordable to modern audiences.
“The console costs about ¥80,000,” Tsujimoto said. “When you factor in the cost of software and monthly subscriptions, it comes to about ¥100,000 at the time of purchase. This is not an amount that can be easily reached, especially for younger generations. This situation is not limited to Japan, but is similar overseas as well.”
This reflects the ongoing conversation about how expensive games and hardware are becoming amidst discussion about how future titles like GTA 6 might be priced.
The future of Monster Hunter
Tsujimoto stated that Capcom has a plan in place to boost the sales of Monster Hunter Wilds going forward – whether this is going to come in the form of updates or a DLC has yet to be seen. However, the record-breaking pace of the game’s initial sales shows that there is absolutely an audience for the series, with strong critical praise reinforcing the idea that there’s a strong foundation to be built upon.
Are consoles too unaffordable?
While the higher pricing of games might have begun to feel like a normal matter of course in recent years, it’s a problem that the industry seems to be aware of too. In leaks regarding the future generation of PlayStation hardware, attention was drawn to the fact that it might be priced lower than the upcoming Xbox Ally X handheld – even following the Xbox Series X/S model of having a cheaper but less powerful alternative that can help to make the consoles more accessible to a wider audience.
