Monster Hunter Now tests Pokémon Go event formula with Carnival Global

• Monster Hunter Now's first major in-person event is getting a digital iteration
• The event is a Monster Hunter spin on Pokémon Go's established event formula

Niantic’s Monster Hunter Now hosted its first-ever major in-person event earlier this month with the Monster Hunter Now Carnival on October 12th and 13th.

Less than a month later, Niantic is expanding the event digitally with a decentralised worldwide version called Carnival Global, taking place on November 2nd and 3rd.

Much like Pokémon Go’s in-person events, Now’s Carnival encouraged players to buy a ticket to attend in Shibuya and hunt exclusive monsters together in the real world.

Held one month after Now’s first anniversary, the Japan-based event had "tens of thousands of hunters from around the world" come to participate.

One for the paying players

Buying a ticket for Carnival Global will unlock new and exclusive monsters Nergigante, Silver Rathalos and Gold Rathian this weekend in addition to event-exclusive weapons, armour and quests.

Event-only bundles will also be distributed over the period, incentivising pack purchases for more potions, meat and other items.

Because a hunter’s health serves as a soft stamina gate - required to be above a certain threshold to hunt monsters - the Recovery Big Bargain Pack in particular will be one way for paying players to make the most of the event and hunt everything possible during those two days.

Otherwise, losing too much health without enough of a potion supply will mean missing out on hunts even for those who buy event tickets.

Between the event ticket and range of bundles, taking Now’s first event global provides an opportunity for more players to participate who couldn’t attend in Shibuya, while also creating another opportunity for Niantic to monetise the new, highly limited monsters.

Tickets are being sold in-game and on Monster Hunter Now’s web shop.

A tried and tested formula

Following up Carnival with this Carnival Global event is very much in line with the Pokémon Go formula - giving paying players willing to travel first access to new content in a community-heavy context.

But after the resources spent by Niantic preparing for events, Pokémon Go typically rolls out the same content on a worldwide scale in an online form down the line, lacking the in-person experience but providing broarder access to the exclusive, paid content.

It's a model Monster Hunter Now is now trialling next and is evidence of shared learnings between Niantic teams.

Carnival Global will also mark Now’s second paid-only online event, following Dark Daydreams on July 20th and 21st. Similarly to Carnival, this event unlocked a new monster to paying players and appears to have served as something of a trial to the in-person format too.

"Dark Daydreams is definitely one of our favourite in-game events. It was our first attempt at offering special benefits through a premium ticket," Niantic senior producer Sakae Osumi shared with us during Now’s first anniversary.

"We weren’t sure about the reception until the event started, but it turned out to be a success with lots of positive feedback from the community."