With the PlayStation Vita‘s sales dwindling in Japan, Sony executives are point the finger at a weak launch line-up. The absence of one game seems to be the blame though: Monster Hunter. Developed by Capcom, the RPG series is a huge seller over in Japan, moving 18 million units, spawning an Anime series and a book.
“The games available at launch in Japan do not correspond to the tastes of of the Japanese public. The system lacks a particular game, Monster Hunter, which is scheduled for release in the coming months. Had it been there in Japan, the story would have been different.” – Philippe Cardon, head of PlayStation France
Many people have spoken out about the lack of Monster Hunter in the Vita‘s game library so far (as we have here at TGF). It seems as though Sony is pulling out the proverbial “big gun” with this announcement (though this hasn’t been officially announced by Capcom). Cardon has said that the launch titles seemed more suited for the Western audience, suspecting that the Vita is in better position to succeed in the U.S. and Europe.
Sony is hoping to have Monster Hunter on the Vita in Japan later this year, but is it already too late?