Monster Hunter Tri is Pay to Play Online in Japan

Kris Erickson • Jul 27, 2009 • Comments ()

Monster Hunter Tri won't be out in North America until early 2010, but gamers in Japan have already been able to start bringing down wyverns and embarking on quests together. That is, if they have purchased a "hunting ticket" which is required in order to access the online portion of the game. Just like Monster Hunter G on the PS2, the online part of Tri is pay-to-play in Japan. Tickets cost 800 Wii points (8$) for one month, 1500 Wii points ($15) for two months or 2000 Wii points ($20) for three months of online subscription.

We doubt that Capcom would consider charging so much for online connectivity when the game launches in the West. The PS2 game was free to play here, even though it had a fee in Japan, suggesting both a difference in culture and the lower popularity of the series in North America. Also, it would be difficult to justify such a fee when more fully featured MMOs like World of Warcraft charge about the same for their subscriptions but offer considerably more online content.

What do you think, readers? Would you pay an additional fee to play Monster Hunter Tri online with friends? What features would Capcom have to include in order to entice you to open your (virtual) wallets?