Capcom’s new free to play mobile Monster Hunter game Monster Hunter Riders for iOS and Android released back in February 2020. If you’ve not kept up with it, Monster Hunter Riders followed Monster Hunter Stories in terms of aesthetics with characters that look older and it is set in a world where monsters and riders live together featuring many series favorites like Rathalos, Zinogre, and more. Today, Capcom announced that Monster Hunter Riders is shutting down this June with in app purchases being disabled from today. This shut down is because Capcom cannot provide the same experience going forward due to some external factors. Monster Hunter Riders never made it out of Japan and it is an online-only game so this announcement stings even more for those including myself, who were hoping to play it in English in the future.
Monster Hunter Riders service will shut down on June 16th, 2022 after which it will no longer be playable. If you bought any in app purchases and have leftover orbs, you will be able to request refunds as detailed here. If you’re interested in checking it out while it is still available only in Japan, you can download it on the App Store for iOS here and Google Play for Android here. It looks like the only Monster Hunter experience that will be playable on mobile for the foreseeable future is Monster Hunter Stories which is also available on Apple Arcade. I still hope Capcom brings back Monster Hunter Freedom Unite because the iOS version was the only way to play it on a modern device officially. It sucks when even Monster Hunter of all brands sees games shut down especially when the series is stronger than it has ever been ever since Monster Hunter World released back in 2018 and with the recently released Monster Hunter Rise. Did you play Monster Hunter Riders or were you waiting on a potential localization?
