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Discussion EA and Koei Tecmo announce "the next great Hunting Game" (UPDATE: WILD HEARTS, Out February 17th 2023, Xbox/PlayStation/PC)

TreIII

A Kool Kartoon
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So, confirmed to be NOT a Musou. If anything, it looks like a proper successor to KT's own neglected IP, Toukiden, which was one of the few standout "MonHun clones" some time ago.

Consider me interested!
 
On one hand, finally some actual competition for Monster Hunter. It's definitely an interesting collaboration.

On the other, the two worse publishers when it comes to microtransaction schemes working together, i'm scared.
 
On one hand, finally some actual competition for Monster Hunter. It's definitely an interesting collaboration.

On the other, the two worse publishers when it comes to microtransaction schemes working together, i'm scared.
To be quite honest? As much as I love KT most days, this is at the back of my mind, too.

I just hope the goodwill KT has built up from both Nioh games and the upcoming Wo Long will give at least them reason to not be so obnoxious. Not to mention if they want to seriously compete with Capcom, it won't be through BS.
 
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Everybody it's "of course, Toukiden 3 or it's spiritual succesor"

Me: "of course, Dynasty Warriors 9 giant bosses mode!".
 
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what the hell is EA even doing here
diversifying?

battlefield doesn’t seem to be working out for them and they’re losing exclusivity on star wars. i think it makes sense for them to try to branch out. a triple-A hunting game from koei tecmo wouldn’t be my first guess, but hey, at least they’re not blind to the global success of monster hunter world just because it came from japan.
 
Toukiden was amazing and I welcome the return of hunting games that aren't MH.
 
diversifying?

battlefield doesn’t seem to be working out for them and they’re losing exclusivity on star wars. i think it makes sense for them to try to branch out. a triple-A hunting game from koei tecmo wouldn’t be my first guess, but hey, at least they’re not blind to the global success of monster hunter world just because it came from japan.
And if nothing else, it's prime opportunity for both parties. After the short-lived era of MonHun clones that were abound on the Vita, today, the only bit of competition Capcom has now is, well, Dauntless.

Koei Tecmo probably wants a partner that could help them expand the project's scope for a global audience, and EA gets at least one potential IP that could endear them to an audience in a genre they usually don't court.

Could be interesting, if done well.
 
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I'm sure this has potential, and I'd love to see more MH clones; but EA being part of the equation has me skeptical right from the start.
 
That feels really bizarre that Toukiden wasn't mentioned by name in the press release given that that’s… a hunting game set in fantasy feudal Japan and the last one only came out on PS4/Vita in 2016. It’s like deliberately avoiding the most relevant thing they could have put on Omega Force’s resume. Maybe they are like ‘nobody mention Toukiden as we don’t want to imply this is a spiritual sequel to a relatively low budget game, focus on ‘AAA’ and ‘global’ to associate with MH instead’.

Still, curious enough to see how it looks but with EA involved I’m not particularly hopeful that it won’t be service game designed to keep microtransactions flooding in. That’s not what hunting games are about to me.

I guess EA gives them the budget and infrastructure to aim for a global AAA release to challenge MH, presumably aiming to drop once the Rise/Sunbreak audience is looking for something new and long enough before MHW2 releases to bed in, and it wouldn’t have happened without EA’s resources.
 
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I don't know why my brain read this for a second as being a Good Will Hunting game.

I also don't know why that got me excited and to click the thread.
 
Uh.. i heard hunting game and thoughts is an authentic hunting experience in fedal japan, with the traps an tools, ad you have to hunt for survival and resources to build your store in a small japanese town...

no idea why my brain did go there. I just had a bow and arrow in mind...
 
Uh.. i heard hunting game and thoughts is an authentic hunting experience in fedal japan, with the traps an tools, ad you have to hunt for survival and resources to build your store in a small japanese town...

no idea why my brain did go there. I just had a bow and arrow in mind...
I think ‘hunting game’ is a popular term amongst those who were playing the various MH-style games on Vita, of which there were quite a few, including Toukiden, the forerunner of this title. It’s probably not a genre title that’s picked up much traction outside of that though, like most of those games.
 
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it will probably skip the Switch but I'm very interested in it
It'll 100% miss Switch and 100% be a sales failure. This is a studio who got their best sales on Switch and they're making a game for other platforms in a genre that's very popular on Switch.

I hope bad decisions like this won't hurt the Japanese market that much.
 
It'll 100% miss Switch and 100% be a sales failure. This is a studio who got their best sales on Switch and they're making a game for other platforms in a genre that's very popular on Switch.

I hope bad decisions like this won't hurt the Japanese market that much.
It honestly will depend on what KT and EA's expectations are for the game (re: how much marketing they throw behind it), just as much as if the game actually ends up being good.

For example, Toukiden 2 was actually a very competently made game that was pretty fun, too. Too bad it being made with the PS4 in mind meant that it screwed over the actually loyal base in Japan who bought the first game with a pretty subpar Vita port. Meanwhile, World wouldn't prove the capability of MonHun clones in the console space for another two years. It was just baffling, after the first game was one of the few standouts in the "MonHunless-era" of the PSP/Vita's shared lifetime.

That said, I'd love to see what probably will be "Toukiden 3" actually do well, as I agree with the idea that Capcom could use a legit rival in a space where they've largely ran unopposed. And if they're going to make a move, they might as well do it soon, before MH World's successor drops and renders this all moot.
 
It'll 100% miss Switch and 100% be a sales failure. This is a studio who got their best sales on Switch and they're making a game for other platforms in a genre that's very popular on Switch.

I hope bad decisions like this won't hurt the Japanese market that much.
such pessimism. sure it won't do well in Japan, but it's way too soon to be writing this game off
 
It'll 100% miss Switch and 100% be a sales failure. This is a studio who got their best sales on Switch and they're making a game for other platforms in a genre that's very popular on Switch.

I hope bad decisions like this won't hurt the Japanese market that much.
To be fair, Monster Hunter World isn’t on Switch and is Capcom’s bestselling game ever, it’s about time something took advantage of that gap in the market (given that MHW2 is a way off yet) even if I’d prefer to see hunting games on portables.
 
To be fair, Monster Hunter World isn’t on Switch and is Capcom’s bestselling game ever, it’s about time something took advantage of that gap in the market (given that MHW2 is a way off yet) even if I’d prefer to see hunting games on portables.

No Switch still means missing out on a big potential customer base. Monster Hunter built its popularity over many years and several hardware generations. Rise on Switch could even become the best selling single console SKU. Highlighting how big the potentially ignored audience is. A new IP should target a vast audience avoiding one of the bigger ones would be a missed opportunity.
 
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It honestly will depend on what KT and EA's expectations are for the game (re: how much marketing they throw behind it), just as much as if the game actually ends up being good.

For example, Toukiden 2 was actually a very competently made game that was pretty fun, too. Too bad it being made with the PS4 in mind meant that it screwed over the actually loyal base in Japan who bought the first game with a pretty subpar Vita port. Meanwhile, World wouldn't prove the capability of MonHun clones in the console space for another two years. It was just baffling, after the first game was one of the few standouts in the "MonHunless-era" of the PSP/Vita's shared lifetime.

That said, I'd love to see what probably will be "Toukiden 3" actually do well, as I agree with the idea that Capcom could use a legit rival in a space where they've largely ran unopposed. And if they're going to make a move, they might as well do it soon, before MH World's successor drops and renders this all moot.
That's the part that I have no faith in. EA had plenty of EA originals from variety of devs, but none of them were pushed except for It Takes Two, in which Fares did the most of the marketing job. Others, Lost in Random, Sea of Solitude, Rocket Arena pretty much failed (and that was the reason Sea of Solitude devs took the game out of EA Originals program)

I have even less faith in this than Toukiden, Toukiden at least had Vita, a platform where niche games were actually appreciated.
such pessimism. sure it won't do well in Japan, but it's way too soon to be writing this game off
I don't have pessimism in the game itself, but in PS4/PS5 and Xbox. Those consoles have become too much mainstream for niche titles like this get the attention they deserve. It'll do good on Steam/PC, no doubt about it.
To be fair, Monster Hunter World isn’t on Switch and is Capcom’s bestselling game ever, it’s about time something took advantage of that gap in the market (given that MHW2 is a way off yet) even if I’d prefer to see hunting games on portables.
MHW has been the only exception for these kind of niche releases. It was looking into break into mainstream for years and that was the title it exploded. It being the first PC MH game helped a lot, as evident with Rise's PC sales performance.

Toukiden 2 selling better on Vita than PS4 does not paint a good picture for Wild Hearts.
 
I think the situation is pretty easy to summarise with this one. In contrast to something like Monster Hunter, which was well known and highly regarded even when absent from PS/PC/Xbox during the PS360 era and large parts of the PS4/One generation, Wild Hearts has no such standing and would definitely profit from releasing on as many platforms as possible to maximise its potential impact as a newcomer IP in the genre (even though it's made by people familiar with these types of games and as such should hopefully prove to be solid in terms of quality right out of the gate). As a new IP, it definitely should try to cover as many bases as possible. Given that the Switch and Nintendo hardware/audience in general have easily proven to be receptive to these types of games, it would be a commercially wise decision to also target that platform.
The commercial aspect might clash with the technical reality of the game's development, though, and the team's ambitions in terms of game design. In the end, they'll have to decide on whether they favour going for a broader audience (I'd certainly do so) or going for a more ambitious project in terms of tech (not sure that's the best idea for a new IP like this, especially from a studio/dev team that's not all too well known for their "high end" technology...)

I'm keen to see what they'll be going for in the end. My pessimism tells me to expect the worst, though, lol
 
The commercial aspect might clash with the technical reality of the game's development, though, and the team's ambitions in terms of game design.
This is like, the number one problem with modern game development. The game industry no longer follows supply and demand rule of capitalism, as game devs see themselves as artists, not manufacturers. Their vision rarely matches with gamers demands, they no longer care about trends among the target audience.
 
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KT making an EA original seems weird - is that confirmed or just speculation?

I always thought the EA Original brand was for smaller studios and npt biggish developers/publishers like KT.
 
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This is like, the number one problem with modern game development. The game industry no longer follows supply and demand rule of capitalism, as game devs see themselves as artists, not manufacturers. Their vision rarely matches with gamers demands, they no longer care about trends among the target audience.
Not sure I'd call it a "problem" per se, because perceiving it as such totally depends on one's own perspective and stance on the matter (creative freedom vs commercial factors/necessities); but it definitely is a market/industry reality, and based on that publishers and developers have to make decisions for their projects, yeah.
 
Not sure I'd call it a "problem" per se, because perceiving it as such totally depends on one's own perspective and stance on the matter (creative freedom vs commercial factors/necessities); but it definitely is a market/industry reality, and based on that publishers and developers have to make decisions for their projects, yeah.
It is a problem, as it hurts the devs and kills franchises in the end. But yeah, it is mostly from a consumer perspective, there could be devs that are pretty content about their game failing on charts, possibly causing studio closure, as good critical reception might be top priority for them.

To me, Tri-ace going for a high budget entry for Star Ocean series is absolutely a dumb idea, more so after the failure of SO5, another high budget release. But if that's their plan all along, who am i to judge.
 
It is a problem, as it hurts the devs and kills franchises in the end. But yeah, it is mostly from a consumer perspective, there could be devs that are pretty content about their game failing on charts, possibly causing studio closure, as good critical reception might be top priority for them.
Well, that's an argument you're making based on the assumption that these games outright fail, instead of just not doing as well as they could if they targeted more platforms. But I'm sure there are enough studios that are happy at the end of the day when their game sells, say, 5m across PS/PC for instance, while maintaining their game design/creative vision, vs. selling 7m across PS/PC/NSW instead, but in turn potentially compromising on their ambitions due to having to accommodate to a much lower technical base with the Switch.

I mean, that's simply the reality these developers are facing, and for some projects and teams it works out one way, for others it only works out the other way. And some will indeed fail with either of the two paths they've chosen in the end, because the market being unpredictable to a certain degree simply is one key factor as well. They've got to strike the right balance in their decisions for every single project, and then observe how their decisions play out.

To me, Tri-ace going for a high budget entry for Star Ocean series is absolutely a dumb idea, more so after the failure of SO5, another high budget release. But if that's their plan all along, who am i to judge.
Yeah, but that's a particular case of seemingly being unwilling to learn from their past decisions (and mistakes) and simply being hell-bent on getting their own way. That's different from Wild Hearts, though. If Wild Hearts releases on PS/PC only and fails, and they make a successor, but the target platforms would stay PS/PC only, then that's just being unwilling to adapt.
In that sense I agree that studios and developers also have to take commercial interests into account, obviously they have to; but as I wrote above, it's about striking the right balance every single time. Tri-ace obviously aren't really doing that; we'll have to see how Koei Tecmo fare in comparison, depending on what they ultimately decide to do.
 
EA being involved instantly killed the small amount of enthousiasm I initially felt. They really soured me over the years but I wish them all the best, here's their chance to redeem their status for me but my expectations can't be lower.
 
Being EA original, this has a
1%
chance to come to Switch, otherwise it would be 0%
this seems like it's aiming for the same World demo (regardless of how much that does or doesn't overlaps with Rise's demo), so I'd say closer to 0%
 
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oh no the game from EA being billed as a "AAA experience" isn't coming to my five year old tablet
 
That's the part that I have no faith in. EA had plenty of EA originals from variety of devs, but none of them were pushed except for It Takes Two, in which Fares did the most of the marketing job. Others, Lost in Random, Sea of Solitude, Rocket Arena pretty much failed (and that was the reason Sea of Solitude devs took the game out of EA Originals program)

I have even less faith in this than Toukiden, Toukiden at least had Vita, a platform where niche games were actually appreciated.
I see it differently.

EA's one of the biggest publishers in the world. They've got ongoing contract deals for some of the biggest franchises in the world, as well: Star Wars, Marvel, Madden, Battlefield. They could stay in their lane and be just fine, if that's what they wanted to do. And most would expect such.

So, why the hell are they palling around with Koei Tecmo, a decently reliable "mid-tier" publisher based in Japan that caters best to certain niches in the gaming sphere, to make what will likely be a spiritual successor to a notable, short-lived series of games that was nowhere near striking distance of Capcom's juggernaut of a franchise?

...Probably because they just want to diversify the portfolio a bit, and again, take advantage of the opening while Capcom's next console entrant is likely at least another year away, if not two. If it pans out, EA can say they have another franchise under the belt, and Koei Tecmo has another new business partner. If not, each can part company and go back to what they're doing, which they individually seem to be doing just fine.
 
Koei Tecmo with a budget lord have mercy.

Looks pretty good. Interested in seeing more next month.
 
Not even coming to last gen, that rules out Steam deck compatibility. Smh, there's a Toukiden sequel is coming out and I'm not able to play it.

Let's see how this will play out for Koei, to "move on" from Nintendo.
 
For a hunting game, no matter how pretty it looks the gameplay loop remains the most important aspect IMO. I'm interested to see how this game plays. I have only play Toukiden 2 for a bit in the past, but I thought the control and gameplay of that game were pretty dull.
 
What makes or breaks this (outside of the gameplay sucking or something, but I'll give them benefit of the doubt there) will probably be the size of the launch monster roster, amount of stuff to craft etc.

Game is super pretty looking but not having enough stuff to hunt and work towards is often what ends up making these games unappealing compared to MH, Capcom just has a really large amount of legacy content to fall back on in a pinch which can be hard to compete with, though I guess they're not directly competing with Capcom yet since MH doesn't have a modern console title yet which might pull some of that audience over to tide them over till MH6.
 
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Not even coming to last gen, that rules out Steam deck compatibility. Smh, there's a Toukiden sequel is coming out and I'm not able to play it.

Let's see how this will play out for Koei, to "move on" from Nintendo.
This isn't any more moving on from Nintendo than the team ninja games. KT will still be an avid supporter of Nintendo

The trailer looks nice, but damn do they need some antialiasing
 


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