Monster Hunter: World will get free DLC

Monster Hunter: World will get free downloadable content, just as fans have experienced for the last decade of the series, according to the game’s producer. This is despite the franchise’s jump from handheld to console and PC, where the practice of paid DLC is more common.

“We will continue to release free quests as we always have,” Monster Hunter: World producer Ryozo Tsujimoto told Polygon at Gamescom. He did note that the game would require players to sign up for console-specific online services if they want to play with friends.

Monster Hunter: World marks the action RPG franchise’s return consoles for the first time in years, and this time to a generation of consoles that is always connected to the internet more often than not. That means that the team could also think a little differently about what DLC means.

“On portable, you are not always online, so you have to have a system in place where people will download the quests or data when they are at home then play when they are out,” Tsujimoto said. “Now with the console, we can rely on you being online whenever you’re on.”

That could mean quests only available for certain time periods, he added, something that wouldn’t have been as fair to handheld players.

But even before fans can start clamoring for additional content, Monster Hunter: World’s creators promise it will have the same amount of main game story as previous entries.

“We have made sure we are putting the volume of gameplay people expect from a Monster Hunter,” said executive producer Kaname Fujioka. “I think we have our priorities right. We don’t want to let any users down who are used to Monster Hunter being a great, meaty experience.”

Monster Hunter: World is coming to PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 with a worldwide launch in 2018. For more on the game, check out 12 minutes of gameplay below.