The next major crossover for Exoprimal is Monster Hunter, with Rathalos joining as an opponent and new Exosuits based on the armor Hunters wear in Capcom’s monster hunting game on January 18, 2024. To learn more about this next crossover, Siliconera talked with Director Takuro Hiraoka once again.
Jenni Lada: When did planning start for the Exoprimal Monster Hunter crossover?
Takuro Hiraoka: While Exoprimal was in development, the idea of a Monster Hunter crossover arose when the team began brainstorming what content we could include in post-launch title updates.
Many members of the Exoprimal development team, myself included, have worked as developers on titles in the Monster Hunter franchise, and we thought we would like to try creating Monster Hunter-themed content if Capcom collaborations wound up being included in our title updates. Exoprimal’s combat, which revolves around working together with a team of allies to defeat powerful enemies, fits well with the Monster Hunter series, which made us think we’d be able to create an enjoyable experience where players can go head-to-head with a large monster from that universe.
Shortly after Exoprimal was first revealed, fans in the community expressed their hopes and desires for a collaboration with the Monster Hunter series. That was one of the deciding factors behind our decision to move forward with this particular crossover.
How did you decide on Rathalos as the featured Exoprimal battle?
Hiraoka: For this collaboration, we wanted to select a monster that represents the Monster Hunter series well. Of course, Rathalos is one monster that fits that description, so we included it among our initial candidates and ultimately chose to feature Rathalos in this crossover. Since Exoprimal’s roster of prehistoric predators doesn’t include any large dinosaurs that can fly, we thought introducing Rathalos into this universe would allow us to create a fresh gameplay experience for the Exoprimal community.
Will any of Rathalos’ behaviors and attacks from Monster Hunter be preserved and appear during this fight?
Hiraoka: The Rathalos encounter in Exoprimal was designed to maintain King of the Skies’ recognizable characteristics and behaviors, while also empowering the monster to take on a team of 10 Exofighters. Since 10-player co-op missions are popular among Exoprimal fans, we really wanted to make the Rathalos fight one of these boss battles. We decided against giving Rathalos wild new attacks like those you might see in some of Exoprimal’s other boss fights, like the ability to unleash massive lasers or send out shockwaves, since that would make it feel too different. However, it was important to make some adjustments so Rathalos, who typically fights groups of four Hunters, could pose a challenge to 10 pilots equipped with futuristic Exosuits. We hope you enjoy taking on Rathalos in a new universe and seeing how it’s been adapted to Exoprimal’s “massive action” and strategic co-op gameplay.
Will we see any Frenzied Rathalos elements? Or will any Dreadking Rathalos Deviant behavior be represented?
Hiraoka: Our goal with the Rathalos mission was to create a straightforward representation of the Monster Hunter series, so elements from afflicted monsters, those with deviant behavior, and monsters with two names aren’t included in this collaboration. As mentioned earlier, however, there is an added sense of “massiveness” in this crossover that stems from the Monster Hunter series’ iconic fire-breathing wyvern being summoned to the world of Exoprimal. We’re confident this special collaboration will meet fans’ expectations, and we hope Exofighters around the world enjoy hunting the King of the Skies!
How did Hunter attire from past games influence the Exosuit skins present in the Monster Hunter Exoprimal crossover?
Hiraoka: As you can probably tell from the Exoprimal x Street Fighter 6 collaboration that released in October 2023 as part of Exoprimal Season 2, the Exosuit skins we create for each crossover are designed with respect for the original games they’re based upon.
The same philosophy applies for this Monster Hunter series collaboration. First, we compiled a list of potential candidates among Monster Hunter’s numerous armor sets based on the franchise’s most iconic monsters, as well as the popularity of various monsters and armor. Some of my personal favorites were in the running, but we ultimately decided on Rathalos, Kirin, Nergigante, and Rajang. From there, we matched Exosuits that fit best with each monster. Some pairings were perfect matches, like Murasame and Rathalos. Then there are others like Kirin and Skywave that were fused together in an amazing new way. We also transformed Roadblock into Rajang. I really love how all of them turned out. I’m proud of our designers and hope you enjoy donning the Monster Hunter skins in the wargames!
Which games would you like to most see appear in an Exoprimal crossover? Could we see a Dragon’s Dogma crossover ahead of Dragon’s Dogma 2?
Capcom has so many enjoyable games to choose from. The Exoprimal development team has ideas for many titles that would make for fun-filled collaborations. I’m not able to disclose specifics on what’s coming next just yet, but additional collaborations are in the works. I think you’ll be excited about what’s in store for Exoprimal, so please stay tuned!
Exoprimal is available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC. The Monster Hunter crossover will appear in the January 18, 2024 update.
