A Niantic producer discusses how Monster Hunter's current Carnival Shibuya came to be.

In Shibuya Monster Hunter Now Players took to the streets on October 12th and 13th. Monster Hunter Now Carnival Shibuya, the mobile AR game's first major event, introduced the Elder Dragons Nergigante, Gold Rathian, and Silver Rathalos, as well as a variety of event-exclusive weapons and armor. Monster Hunter Now People around the world will be able to see all this content for themselves on November 2nd and November 3rd.

Game Rant' attended the Monster Hunter Now Carnival Shibuya event and spoke to Niantic Executive Producer Sakae Osumi about how the event went. Among other details, Osumi talked about how he worked with the city to make this event possible and how special each day was for the developer.

Monster Hunter Now brings the carnival to Shibuya

It took a year from launch. Monster Hunter Now Niantic has reached a point where it can host the first major offline event for the game. This is, at least in part, because Niantic first focused on getting the game to a point where AR game developers would be ready for Carnival. That means features, updates, and everything have been built to get to this point. spirit. Osumi says Niantic can't reach 100% on the current title, but that first year has laid the groundwork for players and the studio to bring events like Monster Hunter Now Carnival to fruition.

But once that foundation was laid, it became possible to release the city's hunters. To that end, Shibuya was a natural choice, explains Ohsumi. Shibuya is not only a trendy area in Tokyo; Monster Hunter Now For a while. Shibuya's visuals are intrinsically linked to its origins. Monster Hunter Now In the end, Shibuya fully joined in on the excitement. As Sumi Oh explained,

Our event leaders and event team worked closely with the Shibuya City Council to gain support from the local community and also select safe zones and safe routes for players to explore…We wanted to make this a big event. But it's also really special. When you come here, you can't experience it anywhere else. We wanted to bring a lot of people, fans and players here, and give them this unique experience, a fun experience of gathering here and exploring the city of Shibuya.

Niantic has teamed up with Shibuya to create a fun animal tracking route that can be explored by newcomers to Shibuya as well as those familiar with the area, giving local players a chance to discover new aspects of the city as well. As a result, it was a special day not only for local Japanese athletes but also for tourists. This has been Niantic's ideal guide with games that bring players together in a shared experience that overlays the game world on the real world and blends gaming and life in a way that adds a little extra to both experiences. Ohsumi thinks they've nailed that feeling so far. Monster Hunter Now Carnival Shibuya is coming. Part of that comes from the fact that the event changed the way the local player base interacted, bringing people from all over the world together to hunt monsters.

Of course the number is [of players] Very different. Even in Japan today, it is like a special gathering. It's really amazing. It's like an endless hunt. Let's go out and hunt together, the sky's the limit. It's very special. Yes, it's really fun to not only be able to come out and play with people you know, but also share those same fun moments with people you don't know.

As for Carnival's future, Osumi said the company will continue the lessons it learned in Shibuya into the upcoming World Festival (held on November 2 and 3) and beyond. Osumi also emphasized that Niantic is committed to events like this with grandiose statements about getting players out into the world, and suggested that fans will see more happening in 2025.