It will soon be time to go monster hunting in the streets. No, we are not talking about a new PC or console game in Capcom"s hit Monster Hunter series. We are talking about Monster Hunter Now, an upcoming AR mobile game that"s being developed by Niantic Labs, the creators of another major AR game, Pokemon Go.
Today"s press release says that Monster Hunter Now will give players a chance to fight the dragons and other creatures in the Monster Hunter series on the streets of the real world. It"s designed to be played alone or with friends. Niantic says that the game will also make it easy to play for newcomers in both the Monster Hunter games and AR games in general:
For instance, in Monster Hunter Now, there’s an item called the Paintball. By using a Paintball on a monster that you encounter, you can bring the monster back home and hunt it alone or with someone else. And even when you’re walking around without playing the game, your companion can mark any monsters you pass by with the Paintball, so you can enjoy hunting them even after returning home.
The game will launch sometime in September for iOS and Android but people can go to the Monster Hunter Now website and sign up to possibly be picked for a closed beta test.
While Niantic"s Pokemon Go game is still very popular, some of the company"s subsequent AR games have not met with as much success. Its AR Games based on the Harry Potter and Transformers franchises have since been shut down a few years after launching.