FFXIV, Witcher 3 Inspire Monster Hunter Wilds: IGN First

Monster Hunter Wilds brings a fresh wave of innovations, new features, and quality-of-life enhancements to the beloved Monster Hunter series. Interestingly, the seeds for these changes were planted during Monster Hunter World’s crossover events. The creative input from Final Fantasy 14’s director, Naoki Yoshida, during the FFXIV crossover, and the overwhelmingly positive response to The Witcher 3 crossover, played crucial roles in shaping Monster Hunter Wilds' new gameplay elements.

During the collaboration for the FFXIV crossover, Naoki Yoshida, also known as Yoshi-P, suggested to Monster Hunter Wilds Director Yuya Tokuda that players enjoy seeing the names of their attacks displayed on screen as they execute them. This feedback led to a new heads-up display (HUD) feature in Monster Hunter Wilds, where attack names appear during combat. This concept was first tested during the 2018 FFXIV crossover event in Monster Hunter: World, which introduced players to the challenging Behemoth fight and other exciting elements like catchable Cactuars and the Drachen armor set. The Behemoth fight, in particular, showcased the display of attack names, a common feature in MMORPGs, which you can see in the video below.

Completing the Behemoth repel quest also unlocked the Jump emote, inspired by the Dragoon’s movements in Final Fantasy, with the action name "[Hunter] performs Jump" appearing on screen. This was a unique precursor to the HUD feature in Monster Hunter Wilds.

The influence of The Witcher 3 on Monster Hunter Wilds is equally notable. Director Yuya Tokuda was inspired by the positive reception to the Monster Hunter: World and The Witcher 3 collaboration, which served as a test for integrating more dialogue and player choices into the series. In the crossover, players took on the role of Geralt of Rivia, who speaks and engages in conversations with other characters, offering players dialogue options—a stark contrast to the silent protagonists of previous Monster Hunter games. This approach has been adopted in Monster Hunter Wilds, where the protagonist now has a voice and interacts with NPCs.

Tokuda’s forward-thinking approach during the development of Monster Hunter World’s collaborations paved the way for these enhancements. He sought out the collaboration with The Witcher 3, which proved to be a success, and kept these ideas in mind for future installments like Monster Hunter Wilds.

This fascinating insight into the development process was shared during our exclusive visit to Capcom’s Japan offices as part of IGN First. For more detailed information, don’t miss our full hands-on preview, new interviews, and exclusive gameplay footage from January’s Monster Hunter Wilds IGN First coverage:

• Behind Monster Hunter Wilds' New Approach to Starting Weapons and Hope Series Gear
• Monster Hunter Wilds Interview and Gameplay: Meet Nu Udra, Apex of the Oilwell Basin
• Evolving Monster Hunter: How Capcom’s Belief in the Series Made it a Worldwide Hit
• Monster Hunter Wilds: Gravios Returns in This Exclusive Gameplay