Niantic is working on mobile augmented reality game Monster Hunter Now

Publisher Capcom is teaming up with Niantic to create a Monster Hunter game set in the real world, similar to Pokémon Go. The game will be released for Android and iOS in September and beta testing will begin next week.

The game is called Monster Hunter Now and is being developed by Niantic, the developer who also built augmented reality game Pokémon Go, which was again based on Ingress. In the Monster Hunter Now game, players can walk through the real world and catch monsters there, similar to how Pokémon Go fights in gyms.

According to the makers, the game is also playable for players who have never played a Monster Hunter game. The games have a cult following and a large fan base, but the combat and upgrade system is not equally accessible to every new player. The mobile game introduces a new element, the Paintball. This allows players to mark a monster they encounter along the way, so that they can continue fighting it when they return home.

Players must collect weapons and upgrades in the game alone or with friends to level up. This allows them to defeat ever larger monsters. This means that the game follows the line that the games on console and PC also follow. According to Capcom, battles with monsters always last 75 seconds. They are therefore a lot shorter than the battles in the other games. The game can be played both horizontally and vertically. In that portrait mode, players can play with one hand, according to the publisher.

Monster Hunter Now will be finally released in September of this year. Starting April 25, a closed beta will start for up to 10,000 players chosen by lottery.