Monster Hunter Tri ships over 1 million units in Japan

– Release marks new record for most units shipped for a third party Wii game in Japan at release* – *Researched by Capcom

Capcom is pleased to announce that the initial Japanese shipment of Monster Hunter Tri has surpassed 1 million units.

“Monster Hunter Tri” is the latest entry in the series, and adds fresh new features to the already rich and unique Monster Hunter experience. Beyond the greatly enhanced graphics, the entire world of “Monster Hunter” has also been expanded. For the first time in the series, the hunting of underwater aquatic beasts has been made possible. Also, “Monster Hunter Tri” has been tailored to home consoles by making use of the Nintendo Wii online functionality for multiplayer, implementing a split-screen co-op mode and introducing a new Arena fighting mode. This new entry in the series will bring the strength of the “Monster Hunter” brand to the Wii, and make use of the unique features of the Wii console.

This is the first third party Wii game to have an initial shipment of over 1 million units in Japan. As a series, “Monster Hunter” has now surpassed 10 million units shipped.

“Monster Hunter” is a hit series of hunting action games that allow players to hunt huge monsters in natural environments. The “Monster Hunter” series has created an original style of gameplay that allows friends to work together to take down the game’s gigantic monsters.

In celebration of the 5th anniversary of the “Monster Hunter” series, a new cell phone focused website, “Monster Hunter Club”, has been established. There are also a number of special user-focused events planned, including a countdown event on the eve of Monster Hunter Tri’s release on August 1st, and “Monster Hunter Festa 09”, which will be held on August 23rd. The promotion of the series will continue to expand by means of a tie-in with the dinosaur-focused event “Kyouryu 2009: Sabaku no Kiseki” (Dinosaurs 2009: The Miracle of the Desert), as well as collaborations to produce pre-screening short films to be shown preceding movie showings in cinemas.

As always, Capcom continues to strive to maximize the value of its brands, and develop incredible entertainment experiences that will satisfy the widest possible audience.