Nintendo shares had a stellar run on Friday after game maker Capcom announced plans to bring a popular game to the Nintendo Switch. Investors are optimistic that the new game will further boost sales of the already-popular hybrid console.
Nintendo Switch a perfect host for Monster Hunter XX
On Friday, Capcom, a popular game studio with hit game franchises such as Street Fighter and Resident Evil, stated that Monster Hunter XX will soon land on the Nintendo Switch. Following the news, Nintendo shares reached their highest level since October 2008, helping the Japanese game maker add $2.2 billion to its total market capitalization, notes CNBC.
速報です！『モンスターハンターダブルクロス Nintendo Switch Ver.』発売決定！モンハンシリーズ最大級の狩りごたえがNintendo Switchで楽しむことができますよ～！https://t.co/CXQuLkXAKo #MHXX #nintendoswitch pic.twitter.com/j2pdsvmOtj
— MHXX Official (@MHXX_CAPCOM) May 26, 2017
Monster Hunter XX is the latest game in the action-RPG series, and it is an extended version of Monster Hunter X, which came into the U.S. market in 2015 as Monster Hunter Generations. Monster Hunter XX, which released in Japan in March, has yet to arrive in the West, notes The Verge.
Although Monster Hunter is not a very popular series in the West, it has been a huge success in Japan and turned out to be a major boost for Nintendo when it was released on the 3DS in 2011.
“It sends a signal that one of the A-list developers in the world is bringing one of their top games to the Switch, and you can also make the point when they do that that others might follow,” Serkan Toto, CEO of Japanese gaming consultant and advisory group Kantan Games, told CNBC.
The Nintendo Switch will be the perfect host for the game, as it allows users to play local co-op multiplayer games on the go, the primary reason why the game became a hit in Japan, notes The Verge. The game can also be played on the big screen at home.
Capcom has yet to release details on the Nintendo Switch version of the game. More information is expected to come this Saturday when the Monster Hunter event kicks off in Sapporo, Japan.
More games for the Switch
Two new games also surfaced on the Nintendo Switch eShop this week. Both Ultra Street Fighter 2: The Final Challengers and Disgaea 5 Complete have added some tweaks to match the console’s performance. In Ultra Street Fighter 2, there are two new fighters to choose from for both the multiplayer and single player versions. More details on eShop updates and other new releases for the Switch are expected at E3, which is only a few weeks away.
Nintendo is confident that the Switch will turn around its fortune and help it end its eight-year sales decline and boost its operating profits. The Japanese company has been reeling under pressure in the wake of competition from the likes of Xbox and Sony PlayStation.
Nintendo Switch is a hybrid device that can be used either by attaching it to a television or as a handheld device. About 2.74 million units of the console were sold in its debut month. There were also 2.76 million copies of the Switch’s flagship launch title The Return of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sold.
