9 months on from Remaining Fantasy VII: Ever Disaster’ lukewarm launch, Sq. Enix has introduced in reinforcements, borrowing IP from its Japanese neighbour (and rival) Capcom.
Leveraging Capcom’s Monster Hunter franchise, Ever Disaster has added new crossover content material within the type of a battle towards Monster Hunter’s flagship Rathalos, plus a gacha banner that includes Monster Hunter weapons and armour for Remaining Fantasy’s Cloud and Zack.
It’s the primary time Ever Disaster has collaborated with one other IP outdoors of Sq. Enix’s catalogue, marking an essential second for the cell title.
Roaring success or continued disaster?
Ever Disaster and Monster Hunter Now are each cell video games that launched in September 2023. They function celebrations of their respective franchises, with Ever Disaster bringing new and returning content material to the Remaining Fantasy VII universe (a backstory for Sephiroth included) and Monster Hunter Now providing a every day dose of fight augmented by location-based play.
Of the pair, Monster Hunter Now has been the extra financially profitable, producing $180 million in comparison with Ever Disaster’ $78 million, in response to AppMagic figures. In truth, Now could be even outperforming geolocation goliath Pokémon Go in sure key metrics.
Following Capcom’s success – and whereas Sq. Enix has floundered financially throughout its portfolio, a lot in order that it pre-notified buyers of “extraordinary losses” earlier than its newest fiscal outcomes – it’s clear to see why a collab with a thriving IP may show advantageous.
Monster Hunter’s flagship wyvern Rathalos has been introduced into Ever Disaster as a brand new problem for gamers to surpass, in the meantime spending is inspired via the brand new gear accessible – constructed from monster elements, even when the dwelling, respiratory monsters they arrive from aren’t making a direct look.
In any case, slaying monsters and carving away elements of them to make gear is a core a part of the Monster Hunter gameplay system; in Ever Disaster gamers can skip the looking half and soar straight into the gacha – the core of its monetisation mannequin – for an opportunity to tug this limited-time gear.
Till July 2nd, Cloud is on the market with the non-elemental Glavenus Sword whereas Zack is supplied with the electrified Zinogre Blade primarily based on the preferred monster of all of them.
Bringing on board probably the most recognisable Monster Hunter monster in Rathalos and the fan-favourite in Zinogre (even when solely represented by a blade) is certain to carry a brand new surge of income to Sq. Enix’s pockets, particularly when Capcom has been busy constructing model consciousness and celebrating its franchise’s twentieth anniversary.
Up to now, nonetheless, no plans have been introduced to carry Remaining Fantasy materials to Monster Hunter Now, additional suggesting Sq. Enix’s have to collaborate greater than Capcom’s.
At first of 2024, the pair donated a mixed whole of over $1 million in reduction funds after the Noto Peninsula Earthquake.