Monster Hunter has become one of Capcom's most lucrative franchises, which is saying a lot given its storied history with Resident Evil, Street Fighter, Mega Man, and more. The game-changing Monster Hunter: World and its Iceborne expansion built a huge fanbase that set up Monster Hunter Rise to become one of the best-selling games of 2021. Now Capcom is working on a new expansion called Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak.

As evidence of the game's success, Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak was the cold-open trailer at the September 2021 Nintendo Direct. It was just a teaser, but the serial position effect suggests viewers are most likely to remember Monster Hunter and the Direct's closer: Bayonetta 3. This is an especially impressive top billing given Kirby and the Forgotten Land debuted during the stream. However, much about Sunbreak is being kept close to the chest for now.

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Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak's Reveal

capcom dlc expansion nintendo direct september 2021

Monster Hunter Rise has been continuously updated since launch, starting with the addition of new features like Layered Armor crafting, as well as monsters and Elder Dragons to hunt - culminating in a climactic battle with Narwa the Allmother that concludes the base game's story. All of these additions have been free, as are event quests giving players armor based on different Capcom properties. Amaterasu from Okami, Akuma from Street Fighter, and Rush from Mega Man are among the additions.

Sunbreak, by contrast, is advertised as a "Massive Expansion" set to release in summer 2022; over a year after the base game. There is currently no price tag attached to this expansion, but the reveal trailer says it is "sold separately." Given the precedent set by Monster Hunter: World - Iceborne, it is likely the newest named DLC could cost around $39.99 if it includes as much planned content.

A cinematic makes up the bulk of the teaser trailer released during Thursday's Nintendo Direct. In it, players see Monster Hunter mascot Rathalos under attack above a decrepit castle; bathed in hazy purple clouds and red moonlight that call to mind the gothic horror imagery of monsters like Dracula. The monster attacking Rathalos is revealed to be a dragon with frayed, bat-like wings and a metallic cry - though its name is not given.

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At the end of the trailer there's a still frame of the player character running toward this dragon's castle on the back of their Palamute, suggesting it will be a full new map in Sunbreak rather than just a boss arena. In fact, Nintendo senior executive officer Yoshiaki Koizumi appears after the trailer and confirms the expansion will "enhance the experience" with new stories, locales, monsters, hunting actions, and "quest rank."

Koizumi specifies that the latter two elements are not touched upon in this trailer directly, unlike new locales and monsters - both its seeming flagship monster and a small monster seen slinking across the ground. However, the idea of a new quest rank brings to mind the addition of G Rank: a series staple typically reserved for post-launch content including more difficult hunts with returning and variant monsters. Monster Hunter Rise has some variants, including its Apex archetype and the Crimson Glow Valstrax (without original Valstrax), but G Rank implies the addition of much more.

Little is known about Sunbreak beyond that, though Capcom's official website for the expansion says its rating is to-be determined as of this writing, and that it will also be available on PC via Steam. Perhaps the most important thing for fans to keep in mind is that more details will be provided at Tokyo Game Show 2021. Capcom's "Monster Hunter Spotlight" block takes place September 30, 2021 from 6:00 a.m. to 6:50 a.m. PDT, though it will also include more about Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin.

Monster Hunter Rise is now available on Switch, with a PC port planned for early 2022. Sunbreak releases summer 2022.

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