Capcom leadership has blamed the PlayStation 5's price as the reason behind Monster Hunter Wilds not meeting sales expectations. Though Monster Hunter Wilds has been one of the highest-selling and most critically-acclaimed releases of 2025, it appears the PS5's lofty barrier of accessibility has been a key obstacle to the game's commercial legs.
Back when it launched in February, Monster Hunter Wilds was nothing short of a phenomenon. The game sold eight million units in just three days, becoming the fastest-selling game in Capcom history. Monster Hunter Wilds surpassed the 10 million mark by April, and also recorded a staggering 1.4 million concurrent players on Steam at launch - one of the highest peaks ever recorded on the platform, surpassing blockbuster games like Elden Ring and Dota 2. By every external measure, Monster Hunter Wilds appeared to be a massive success, but Capcom feels differently.
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Capcom President Thinks the PS5 is Too Expensive
Last month, Capcom said that Monster Hunter Wilds failed to meet long-term sales expectations and didn't quite boost sales of older franchise entries as much as Resident Evil or Devil May Cry releases typically do. In a recently-published interview with Nikkei Gaming, Capcom president Haruhito Tsujimoto elaborated further, acknowledging that while Monster Hunter Wilds hit its internal launch target of 10 million units, sales stalled soon after. He attributed the slowdown to the "unexpectedly large" barrier posed by the PS5's price point, which currently costs around 80,000 yen ($540) in Japan.
Factoring in pricing for accessories, games, and subscriptions, Tsujimoto noted that the total entry cost for PS5 users rises to well over 100,000 yen ($675), making it a tough sell for younger players who don't have a lot of disposable income, both in Japan and overseas. Notably, the PS5 has seen price increases in several major regions this year, with Sony citing challenging economic conditions and unfavorable foreign exchange rates as the reason. Capcom's financial reports back up Tsujimoto's concerns as well, since from April to June, only 477,000 copies of Monster Hunter Wilds were sold.
Though Tsujimoto's grievances with the PS5's high price point are valid, the impact of shifting player sentiment on Monster Hunter Wilds' sales mustn't be ignored either. Recent reviews of Monster Hunter Wilds on Steam have turned "Mostly Negative," with players complaining about longstanding PC performance issues and a lack of compelling endgame content. Capcom has promised fixes and further updates later in the year, but for now, the waning enthusiasm has contributed to Monster Hunter Wilds' sales decline.
