Monster Hunter Rise has been a big success on Switch, and the game is about to get a lot bigger. A PC port is being released in January 2022, and that summer fans will get their hands on Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak; a massive expansion akin to Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. Before either of those milestones hit, Capcom is continuing to release smaller chunks of content, including event quests and collaborations with other properties.
Most of the added properties in Rise thus far are less "collaborations" in the traditional sense, as they primarily cross over with other Capcom series. However, during its Tokyo Game Show 2021 panel on September 30, Capcom confirmed Monster Hunter Rise will feature Sonic the Hedgehog content this November to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Sega's franchise. Precedent offers a solid guess for what this collab will look like, but there is room for more given it's an anniversary celebration.
Monster Hunter Rise's Collaborations So Far
Four "Capcom Collab" event quests are available now in Monster Hunter Rise, and a fifth has been announced. It began with a Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin crossover starting June 18, 2021. This was a week before Wings of Ruin released, and considering the games were frequently advertised together it made sense to see them scratch each other's backs. In Rise, this added layered armor for Palico based on Monster Hunter Stories 2's Tsukino.
Over a month later on July 30, Capcom added Palamute layered armor based on Okami's Amaterasu that had extra effects like flowers blooming behind the player as they ride toward a destination. Capcom Collab 3 on August 27 added layered armor based on Street Fighter's Akuma, complete with kunai turning into Gohadoken and Sword and Shield weapons turning invisible to replicate melee combat. The most recent collab released September 24 turns Palamutes into Mega Man's Rush with visual effects like Rush Coil springing hunters into the air.
Alongside the teaser for Sonic the Hedgehog in November, Capcom Collab 5 based on Ghost n' Goblins Resurrection was announced at Tokyo Game Show. Layered armor that turns hunters into Arthur will be available starting October 29, and like Akuma it turns kunai into the throwable lances from Ghosts 'n Goblins.
How Monster Hunter Rise Could Celebrate Sonic
Capcom has yet to announce what day Sonic the Hedgehog content will release this November, nor has it discussed the contents of this collaboration. However, it will not be the first time Sonic has appeared in the Monster Hunter universe. At Tokyo Game Show 2014, Capcom announced a Sonic the Hedgehog crossover for Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate that included Palico armor and weapons based on Sonic with Caliburn from Sonic and the Black Knight, as well as a Green Hill Zone Guild Card background.
This collaboration took place before Monster Hunter did worldwide releases, so North American fans had to wait until February 2015 to get their hands on 4 Ultimate's Sonic the Hedgehog content. As Monster Hunter Rise is available everywhere, it's a different story this time. Still, a Palico dressed as Sonic would make sense to try again. Rise puts more effort into its collab gear than previous entries, so fans may get to fight alongside a smaller Sonic with spin dash attacks instead of a Palico cosplaying as the blue blur.
Considering there have been two hunters, two Palamutes, and one Palico added thus far (including Ghosts n' Goblins), Palico Sonic would fit the pattern. However, celebrating the character's 30th anniversary suggests bigger things to come. Perhaps hunters will get their own Caliburn Longsword this time, or some kind of Bowgun that fires rings - complete with the iconic sound effect. Maybe hunters will also get to turn themselves into one of the Sonic franchise's more humanoid characters like Dr. Robotnik, providing a rare opportunity for Eggman and Sonic to battle together.
Perhaps the most exciting possibility is that Capcom could bring back event quests with unique monsters based on the collaboration. In Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, Sonic's gear was obtained fighting a Frenzied (thus blue-tinted) Seregios, Super Mario-themed items came from a pair of Congalala that ate mushrooms to grow huge, and Metroid-themed items were unlocked by fighting a Yian Garuga not unlike Ridley. Bringing this idea back with something like a blue Volvidon would be a big deal to celebrate Sonic's anniversary, and it would set the stage for more to come in Sunbreak.
Monster Hunter Rise is available now on Switch, with a PC port releasing January 12, 2022. Sunbreak releases summer 2022.