Monster Hunter Wilds dev says the game's success is thanks to an "emphasis on the story," but I think that's only a tiny aspect of it

Capcom producer Ryozo Tsujimoto reckons that Monster Hunter Wilds’ increased focus on story is one of the big reasons for the game’s massive sales figures.

Monster Hunter Wilds has been an absolute behemoth for Capcom, selling 8 million copies within the first three days of release and becoming Capcom’s fastest-selling game of all time in the process. While it was bound to do well by virtue of having the words ‘Monster Hunter’ in the title (World and Rise are currently Capcom’s number one and two best-selling games of all time, after all), Monster Hunter World sold 5 million in the same time frame, so Wilds’ success is even more impressive. And the producer of the series, Ryozo Tsujimoto, reckons the increased focus on story has something to do with it.

Speaking to The Nikkei (translated via Google), Tsujimoto – when quizzed on how Monster Hunter Wilds had become such a success – said "we placed emphasis on the story and increased the immersive feeling with the voice actors' voices." Later adding that he believes players were able to "get a feel for the world of Monster Hunter" and that was done by depicting "how the hunters are seen by others in the world of Monster Hunter… and what the hunters are thinking."

While Wilds definitely has the most robust plot in the Monster Hunter series, it hasn’t gone down so well with some of the fanbase. Some players called the game’s story "relentless on-rails handholding," with specific criticism aimed at the walk-and-talk scenes. Meanwhile, others were big fans of the characters – namely Rove and Gemma – although almost everyone can agree that the lead-up to Low Rank’s final boss is peak.

However, the story can’t take all the credit. Tsujimoto also mentions in the interview that another factor of Wilds’ success is because Capcom "made it possible to link play between different game consoles." Not only is this the first time in the series that the PC release (which outdid both PS5 and Xbox Series X in the US) is available at the same time as the console launch, but it’s the first Monster Hunter game with crossplay, which undoubtedly allowed some more squads of hunters to team up for the first time. I personally believe the simultaneous PC release and enduring popularity of Monster Hunter World are likely the biggest reasons for Monster Hunter Wilds doing so well out of the gate, so the crossplay focus rings more true in my eyes.