Capcom confirmed today that the upcoming Monster Hunter 3 tri for the Wii will not use friend codes in the US. Capcom is still contemplating changes to the western version’s online functionality.
In Japan, Mosnter Hunter 3 tri is played online not with friend codes but off of Capcom’s own servers. Capcom community specialist Shawn Baxter confirmed that the situation will be the same in the US. Information like friend lists will be specific to that game.
What haven’t been confirmed for the US version are things like fees for playing online and voice chat. Japanese players must buy Nintendo points for weekly or monthly access to the game. Because of differences in the US market, Capcom is considering dropping the fees and adding voice chat through the Wii Speak peripheral.
The Monster Hunter franchise has been one of the most popular in Japan since the PSP entries. Because those versions of the multiplayer-focused game don’t have online however, they haven’t been as popular in the more sparsely-populated North America.
Capcom fears that fees and the lack of voice chat might put off Monster Hunter 3 tri’s chances to finally make the franchise successful in the west. Tri will be the first online Monster Hunter game released outside of Japan since the original 2004 PS2 game.
