Monster Hunter: World, the latest and arguably greatest entry in the series, has broken the franchise shipment record for the first three days since launch.
The title has racked up massive popularity due to it marking the return of the Monster Hunter franchise to consoles, crossovers with other video games, and overall positive reviews. Capcom, however, wants to keep the ball rolling with a weird but totally appropriate promotion for Monster Hunter: World.
'Monster Hunter: World' Ships Over 5 Million Copies In Launch Weekend
In an official press release, Capcom announced that Monster Hunter: World shipped more than 5 million units worldwide over the three-day period of its launch weekend starting Jan. 26. This includes both physical shipments and digital sales for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game. Monster Hunter: World for the Xbox One was only available in North America and Europe, though, while the PlayStation 4 version was available all over the world.
The figure breaks the record for shipments over the three-day period since launch for the Monster Hunter franchise, which now boasts of all-time sales of over 45 million copies.
The 5 million units shipped is not equivalent to sales, though, as it includes the physical copies sold to retailers and the digital copies downloaded by players. However, it is still a good indication of the performance of Monster Hunter: World out of the gates, which right now looks very strong.
Capcom Offers $70,000 Bounty For Proof Of Real-World Monsters
Capcom, in a bid to further promote Monster Hunter: World, is now offering a reward £50,000, or about $70,000, to anybody who can provide evidence of the existence of real-world monsters.
The developer even teamed up with Jon Downes, the director of The Centre of Fortean Zoology, for the promotion, which will run until June 30. Interested participants are not allowed to submit evidence for just any mythological creature, though. The monsters included in the bounty program are only 10, namely the Bigfoot, the Chupacabra, the Cornish Owl Man, Earth Hounds, Mermaids, the Mongolian Death Worm, the Namibian Flying Snake, Scottish Lake monsters such as Nessie, the Yeti/Almasty, and the Yowie.
Downes will be tasked with analyzing the evidence that participants send in. Any legitimate submissions will be awarded the cash prize, which will be shared if more than one person is able to send in elusive evidence of the real-world monsters.
"I've spent the majority of my life travelling across the globe to hunt for evidence of these creatures," Downes said. "Although I have had some successes, I have yet to find that elusive proof and it is time for me to offer my help as I throw down the gauntlet to the next generation."
The promotion, however, is only open in the UK. For the rest of the world, you'll have to settle for Monster Hunter: World.
