How to fit Monster Hunter onto a smartphone: Outlanders creators discuss working with Capcom
Translated with AI from the Russian original.
The developers explained how they preserved the series' identity and adapted the gameplay for mobile devices.
The free-to-play Monster Hunter Outlanders, developed by TiMi Studio Group under license from Capcom, recently launched on iOS and Android. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, lead producer Brian Li discussed how the team ported the franchise’s familiar gameplay to smartphones and collaborated with the series' creators:
“Fortunately, most of our team members are long-time dedicated fans of the franchise who know it inside and out. Monster Hunter Outlanders retains much of what makes the series recognizable: familiar monsters, weapons, and the feel of controls and strikes. But simply recreating a similar experience wouldn’t be enough, so the team put a lot of effort into tuning the controls. This resulted in two solutions: a classic mode for those already familiar with mobile action games, and a simplified adventure mode for players with less franchise experience.”
While working on Outlanders, the team also relied on Capcom's expertise, in turn sharing their own approaches to developing free-to-play titles:
“Capcom knows this franchise inside and out, and we were fortunate to have the opportunity to learn from them how to define core combat mechanics and craft believable creatures for the Monster Hunter universe. Tencent has comparatively more experience with free-to-play games designed for long-term live-service support. That’s why we share not only release plans with our colleagues, but also our vision for the project’s future development.”
Special attention was paid to the length of play sessions. According to Li, the developers repeatedly revisited their decisions and evaluated them through testing:
“Shortening play sessions is a natural choice. The challenge lies in finding the right balance. We reworked this aspect many times. We are good at coming up with different hypotheses, but we don’t always hit the mark on the first try. That’s why we constantly run multiple rounds of playtests and public tests, inviting players to evaluate our assumptions alongside us.”
Monster Hunter Outlanders was released on October 29. Players are invited to explore the new region of Ezoland and hunt beasts solo or in a squad of up to four people.
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