The latest release in the popular Monster Hunter series, Monster Hunter Wilds, has broken records with its successful launch. According to figures from online store Steam, over one million players have logged on to the PC version of the game within hours of its release. The game's director, Yuya Tokuda, and producer, Ryozo Tsujimoto, spoke to BBC Newsbeat about the game's development and its journey to becoming a global hit. Monster Hunter first launched on the PlayStation 2 in 2004 and has since become one of Japan's most popular video game series. The game's success can be attributed to its challenging and complex systems, as well as its option for cooperative play, which allows players to team up with friends to take down massive foes. The series has undergone significant changes over the years, with the breakout 2018 hit Monster Hunter World selling 21.3 million copies, according to publisher Capcom. The game's success has also been driven by its ability to appeal to both old and new fans, with the game's developers taking an iterative approach to building on what has come before. Other Japanese studios, such as Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, have also adopted this approach, with the makers of the popular Yakuza series and its Like a Dragon spin-offs releasing a new game almost every year since 2020.