In Shibuya,Monster Hunter Nowplayers took to the streets on October 12 and 13. The mobile AR game’s first major event, Monster Hunter Now Carnival Shibuya, introduced the Elder Dragon Nergigante, Gold Rathians, and Silver Rathalos there, alongside a bevy of event-specific weapons and armor.Monster Hunter Nowworldwide will be able to check out all of this content themselves come November 2 and November 3.
Game Rant’ was present at theMonster Hunter Now Carnival Shibuyaevent and spoke to Niantic senior producer Sakae Osumi about how the event came together. Alongside other details, Osumi spoke about how it worked with the city to make this event possible and how even a day of it was special to the developer.
Bringing the Monster Hunter Now Carnival to Shibuya
It took a year from the launch ofMonster Hunter Nowto get to the point where Niantic could host its first major in-person event for the game. This was, at least in part, due to Niantic first focusing on getting the game to the point where a Carnival wassomething the AR game developerwas ready for, meaning features, updates, and all of that was built with getting to this point in mind. While Osumi says that Niantic isn’t 100% where it wants to be with the title today, that first year gave players and the studio the foundation to bring an event like the Monster Hunter Now Carnival to fruition.
But with that foundation laid, it was possible to turn loose the hunters on a city. Shibuya was the natural choice for that, Osumi explained. Shibuya is not only a trendy part of Tokyo but has been part ofMonster Hunter Nowfor some time. The visual of Shibuya is tied intrinsically to the origins ofMonster Hunter Nowafter all, and Shibuya absolutely joined in the excitement. As Osumi explained,
Our event lead and event team worked really closely with the Shibuya City Council to make sure the local community is supportive, and we also picked safe zones and safe routes to allow players to explore…We wanted to make this event a big one, but also really special. You cannot experience this anywhere else coming here. We wanted to bring a lot of people, fans, players here, and also to make sure they have this unique experience, an enjoyable experience gathering here and exploring the city of Shibuya.
Niantic worked with Shibuya to work outroutes for tracking beaststhat were fun to explore not only for newcomers to Shibuya but for those familiar with the area as well, letting even local players have a chance to discover new charms to the city. The result was a day as special for tourists as it was for the local Japanese player base. That has been a guiding ideal by Niantic with its games–gathering players in a shared experience that overlays the game world on the real one, blending game and life in a way that provides a little extra to both experiences. Osumi thinks they nailed that feeling as far asMonster Hunter NowCarnival Shibuya goes. Part of that comes in the fact that people from across the world came together to hunt monsters, as the event even changed how the local player base was interacting:
Of course, the number [of players] is very different. Even in Japan today, it is like a special gathering. It’s amazing, it’s like endless hunting. Let’s get out and hunt together, and it’s endless. It’s very special. Yeah, it’s just so much fun to be able to come out and play with people you know, but also with people around you who you may not know, sharing the same fun moment for sure.
As for the future of the Carnival, Osumi said that the company will learn from the one in Shibuya and carry those lessons forward to the upcoming worldwide festival (taking place on November 2 and 3) and beyond. Osumi also emphasized that Niantic is committed to events like this, as a grand expression of getting players out into the world, and suggests that fans have plenty more coming in 2025.
