While Pokémon GO is still Niantic’s most popular game, the company is trying to diversify its portfolio of games by announcing a new game. Niantic announced a partnership with Capcom today 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 it will launch in September on both iOS and Android. And players will have to “hunt monsters in the real world,” according to the official website.
The hunt is on. “Monster Hunter Now” launches September 2023. @MH_Now_En @CapcomUSA_ 🗡 https://t.co/EPA8vRXt8X 🗡 #monsterhunternow pic.twitter.com/oudIHJ90iD
— Niantic (@NianticLabs) April 18, 2023
At the moment, you can follow the official Twitter account of the game and sign up to the closed beta on the website. The developers said on the website that they will start sharing invites starting April 25 to roughly 10,000 people.
The companies didn’t share many details about how the game would work, but given that it’s a Niantic title, you can expect that you will have to venture out and go to different places to defeat different monsters, earn materials, forge weapons and progress in the game.
Join 10k+ tech and VC leaders for growth and connections at Disrupt 2025
Netflix, Box, a16z, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Hugging Face, Elad Gil, Vinod Khosla — just some of the 250+ heavy hitters leading 200+ sessions designed to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don’t miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech. Grab your ticket before doors open to save up to $444.
Join 10k+ tech and VC leaders for growth and connections at Disrupt 2025
Netflix, Box, a16z, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Hugging Face, Elad Gil, Vinod Khosla — just some of the 250+ heavy hitters leading 200+ sessions designed to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don’t miss a chance to learn from the top voices in tech. Grab your ticket before doors open to save up to $444.
“Taking the role of a hunter, players will venture forth and team up with fellow players in order to take down the fiercest monsters in the world, adding a social element to the thrilling experience,” Niantic said in a press release.
The game will limit battles with monsters to 75 seconds and people can use both landscape and portrait modes to play.
Until now, Niantic has tried its hand at non-Pokémon games like NBA All World, Pikmin Bloom and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. That last game was shut down 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, which let users take care of virtual pets and take them on walks. The game is now set to release on May 9.
