A storm is brewing, and black clouds are on the horizon. They herald the arrival of a legendary elder dragon not seen for some time.

Witness the climax to the story of Kamura Village when in Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak Free Title Update 5, available now for Nintendo Switch and Steam! The update introduces the fearsome Avatar of Storms, Amatsu, Risen Shagaru Magala, and many other additions.

The powerful Elder Dragon Amatsu can manipulate the weather and conjure up unrelenting gales. Known as the “Looming Calamity,” it summons destructive storms that envelop the area with lightning strikes when enraged.

The threat of Amatsu represents a climactic battle for the people of Kamura Village. A vengeful Kagero, who serves as the village’s merchant, bears a grudge against this legendary Elder Dragon for bringing about “The Great Calamity.” Stand face-to-face with the approaching storm as soon as MR 10 and see how the story unfolds!

Prepare for one of the most dangerous hunts you’ll face in Sunbreak. Wielding even more quantities of the Frenzy virus, Risen Shagaru Magala releases even larger Frenzy attacks and a variety of new moves that will test the skills of the most seasoned hunters. Risen Shagaru Magala awaits all hunters who have reached the mountaintop of MR 180.

New armor sets await for both Amatsu and Risen Shagaru Magala, and as usual there will be new skills to try out! Defeat both monsters and craft these new sets to vary up your builds even further.

Introducing Special Investigations – a new type of Anomaly Quest for truly the most seasoned of hunters. Complete an Anomaly Investigation at the new max level of 300, to receive a one-off Special Investigation. These extremely difficult and dangerous quests will require you to leverage everything you’ve learned as a hunter. These quests don’t yield any luxurious rewards or new quests, but a special Badge of Heroes can be earned if you complete multiple Special Investigations with different monsters.  

A new feature has been added to the Melding Pot with Free Title Update 5! Qurious Melding allows for even better melding by using afflicted materials, making your skill customization easier. We hope you’ll be able to get the talisman with the skills you’ve been looking for.

Weekly Event Quests will continue as well, featuring various awards such as poses and layered armor. One stylish new set to call your attention to is the Bloodmalice layered armor, which combines elements of both Elgado and Kamura: a true joint effort!

Hold on…could it be? Yes, we’ve heard you asking about it for months, and finally we can share that Buff Body will return in the next batch of Event Quest rewards! Flex on those monsters and showcase what peak hunter looks like in this layered armor that leaves little to the imagination.

Be sure to keep checking back each week starting April 27^th to see what challenges have dropped!

We’ve also got some new paid DLC, including the Wild Hunter layered armor set, special stickers featuring Minoto’s masterpieces, and chill BGM packs featuring incredibly laid-back renditions of our favorite music tracks.

Wait…this isn’t the end? It looks like we’ve got one more Bonus Update coming in June. Fiorayne and our hunter are facing down a mysterious monster…

Guess we’ll have to wait a bit longer to find out more!

Until then, stay up to date with the official Monster Hunter Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts for the latest news. Happy hunting and best of luck with all that awaits in Free Title Update 5!

No matter what, we’re always connected.

Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection brings all ten mainline games to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC via Steam with online head-to-head NetBattling, Battle Chip trading, Download Chips, Patch Cards, and additional content previously only available in Japan!

For Netizens not in the know, the world of Mega Man Battle Network is set against the backdrop of Net Society. In this near-future world, everything is connected, from home electronics, to ovens, to the infrastructure of entire cities! It’s up to programs known as Network Navigators – or NetNavis, for short – to access the Internet via a device called a PET, or PErsonal Terminal. Thanks to the power of PETs, humans and NetNavis can easily communicate with one another, and people can bring their NetNavi with them wherever they go.

Still, even in this idyllic world, viruses are running rampant on the Internet, and a mysterious organization known as WWW – or World Three – is looming in the shadows. It’s up to Lan and his NetNavi, MegaMan.EXE, to untangle a web of mysterious events that threaten to delete the peace of Net Society!

Using a unique battle system that blends action and card-game like tactics, combat is handled with a mix of grid-based movement and the use of Battle Chips that are randomly drawn from your Folder. Think of your Folder like a deck of cards – you know what cards are in there, but not which ones you’ll be dealt each round. Building out a Folder that can adapt to any situation, or one that you know you’ll need for a specific fight, can make all the difference when it comes to busting viruses and NetBattling against other NetNavi!

Depending on which game you’re playing, MegaMan can also take on new elemental properties to control the field, bond with other NetNavi to unite with their soul and change up his attacks, or beast out with the strength of powerful Cybeast. In later games, how you play can affect MegaMan’s mood, too. Operators who are skilled at dodging damage and perfectly time their attacks can achieve Full Synchro, granting additional powerful effects! On the flip side, take too many hits, and MegaMan may become anxious and susceptible to negative influences… or worse.

Online play is also included in all ten games, allowing Operators to challenge others to NetBattles around the world in both ranked and casual matches. Battle Chip trading, Style swapping, exchanging Navi Customizer Programs, and comparing your fastest times defeating certain enemies are also available depending on the game, and you can even compare chips against other Operators to see which ones you might be missing! You can check out our blog about online features and technical adjustments for more info.

There’s even more, too. Previously, Mr. Famous (Director Masakazu Eguchi) was kind enough to share a deep dive on features and contents in this collection, including Boktai collaborations that were previously unavailable in Western releases and the Buster MAX feature that powers up standard Mega Buster shots by a multiple of 100! You can find more information from Mr. Eguchi himself in this blog. (NetBattlers need not worry, Buster MAX mode and certain chip combinations are disabled in online NetBattles. You can check the blog linked above for more details.)

On top of everything else, Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection also features optional high-resolution filters that allow PET owners to enjoy smooth visuals or revisit the original pixel art that helped define the style of the original games. Plus, over 1,000 pieces of art are included in the Gallery, spanning concept art, character sketches, and official illustrations. The additional “Mystery Data” section also includes unique illustrations and images of licensed goods, and the Music Player offers over 180 tunes for you to rock out to when you and your NetNavi aren’t busy exploring the ‘Net.

No matter what, we’re always connected. Stay connected with the Mega Man Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts for the latest info, and stay connected to the ‘Net with Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection, available now for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC via Steam!

Hello everyone! Koichi Shibata here, reporting from the Monster Hunter Rise dev floor!

For our next round of Monster Hunter Rise interviews, I will be talking to Ken Yamazaki, the lead animator for the monsters in Sunbreak.

Q1: First off, could you give us a quick explanation of your role on Sunbreak?

A1: Apart from my tasks as a leader, I was in charge of monster animations. I was mainly in charge of Garangolm, one of the Three Lords. It’s one of the iconic faces of Sunbreak, so I tried my best to make it a unique and memorable monster.

Q2: What kind of themes and guidelines did you use when designing the animations for the monsters?

A2: Garangolm’s motif was Frankenstein’s monster. On top of that, it needed to behave like a “realistic” animal living in nature, so those were the two most important aspects of the animation design. I talked to the team members about its character a lot, and that’s how we ended up with the current Garangolm!

Q3: What kind of process do you go through when creating animations?

A3: The process for making monster animations is to first get a design doc from the game designers that contains info on what kind of gameplay they envision and what type of attacks they want to make. Based on that design doc and the character image of the monster, we start making temp animations. These temp animations are used to test the gameplay, and give a visual impression of the monster’s motions, its characteristics, and its uniqueness, which need to be vetted by the game director and the art director. When we get the OK, we start tweaking the animations in the game, alongside the game design and the VFX, which sometimes involves making modifications to improve the quality. Once the gameplay and visuals are hammered out, we go into the final brush-up phase, and then the animations are done!

Q4: I’ve heard that even the monster animations are made using human motion capture. How does that work?

A4: For characters like Garangolm that have motions that can be “copied” by human beings, we often use motion capture. We even sometimes use motion capture for flying monsters like Malzeno, where the actors have to use their arms as wings. This basically goes for all characters, but motion capture data is generally just used as a base “material,” and the actual finished animations tend to be quite different. However, we still maintain the more detailed movements and expressions the actors use when they play a monster, so we try to make the most out of the captured footage when creating the final animations.

Q5: Being the person who created the animations, it must be really easy for you to dodge a monster’s attacks?

A5: That’s right! For most attacks, I can immediately tell what’s coming just by looking at the start-up animation, so I’m generally able to dodge everything. I also know exactly when the monster is open to counterattacks, so I know when to move in to retaliate. But this knowledge also often leads to overconfidence, so it’s not like I can just trounce every monster I’ve worked on, and I can still have a lot of fun fighting monsters I’m familiar with.

Each monster has its own unique characteristics, so I encourage people to take a close look at the animations (while dodging and keeping a safe distance of course). 

– Closing Comment from Shibata:

Thank you, Yamazaki-san!

It’s interesting to know that the animators strive to reflect each monster’s character and uniqueness in the animations, while keeping in mind how “realistic” the monster is as a naturally living creature, and what kind of gameplay they want the players to experience. It must be very satisfying to fight a monster whose attacks you’re intimately familiar with, but still not always being able to avoid them.

Next time, I will be talking to Moeri Abe about Canynes, because we didn’t get around to that when we did the Rise interviews!

The wait is over. Baby Eagle has been located.

Resident Evil 4 is available now for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam!

Leon S. Kennedy barely evaded the horrors of Raccoon City, during the worst first day on the job anyone could have. After narrowly fleeing from the doomed city and the biological disaster that became its death knell, Leon was quickly recruited as an agent of the U.S. government due to his unique standing as a Raccoon City survivor. Subjected to grueling missions that highlighted his ability to survive and complete his missions at all costs, Leon was ultimately assigned as a direct report to the President of the United States of America.

His latest mission? Locate and rescue the president’s kidnapped daughter, Ashley Graham. For an accomplished agent it’s easy enough on paper – a simple extraction mission. As Leon makes his way to a secluded village in Europe, he quickly discovers the terrifying fervor gripping the local populace runs far deeper than anything he’s encountered before. Leon’s survival skills will be put to the test as he plunges into the depths of madness.

Resident Evil 4 is, of course, a remake of the beloved 2005 game of the same name. The essence of what made the original so cherished is still intact, with the power of RE Engine fueling its rebirth. Vivid details in the environment make familiar locales more unsettling. Deeper connections between characters bring you closer to their stories and personalities. And, of course, there’s modernized gameplay that adds a new dimension and more depth to combat! Leon can cheat death in every encounter thanks to the ability to parry attacks with his knife, unleash a quick stab to break away from enemies that are a little too handsy, and dispatch certain enemies on the ground before they’re able to get back up. There are quite a number of things you can do with a knife! Make sure you’re keeping your trusty blade in tip-top shape – it’d be a shame if something happened to it, though we know a guy who might be able to help you if it breaks.

Resident Evil 4 wouldn’t be complete without the thrill of conquering your foes with an arsenal of melee moves and weapons. With careful aim or sometimes just a bit of luck, you’ll be able to stun enemies and unleash hell with follow-up melee moves, including a devastating suplex. Your options for weaponry will also increase with the help of a friendly – if not slightly eccentric – Merchant. Seems he’s keen to help out an agent in need of a little assistance, and Leon’s arsenal will expand throughout the game with new guns, modifications, and more to give you everything you need to complete your mission. Accomplish certain tasks or find the right items, and the Merchant might even reward Leon with money and new equipment, as well.

Even then, survival is only the beginning. Once you’ve located and rescued Ashley Graham, your mission is to get her out safely by any means necessary. While Ashley lacks the combat training that Leon has, she’s far from defenseless. Leon can issue commands to keep Ashley close by or spread out for a more tactical approach, and if Ashley is put in a downed state by taking damage, Leon can quickly get her back to her feet. Just make sure she’s not taken away by a member of Los Iluminados, or you may never see her again.

If all that wasn’t enough, an additional high-octane mode, The Mercenaries, will be added to the game on April 7th. We’ll have more information on that soon, so keep those eyes open to the Resident Evil Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok channels for more info as it drops. There’s so much more I could go on about – how to perfectly organize your attaché case, the perks of holding off a chainsaw attack with a knife, the fate of that dog … but I’ll let you discover all that for yourself. Ready to take a tour of the European countryside? The wait’s over because Resident Evil 4 is available for purchase now… stranger. Heh heh heh.

Hello everyone! Koichi Shibata here, reporting from the Monster Hunter Rise dev floor! For our twenty-third round of Monster Hunter Rise interviews, I will be talking to Director Yoshitake Suzuki about Espinas, whose appearance in Sunbreak caused quite a stir among the fans.

Q1: First off, could you tell us what led to Espinas appearing in this game?

A1: When I was assigned as Director on Sunbreak, I decided at a very early stage when coming up with the monster roster, that I wanted to have a monster from Monster Hunter Frontier in there.

One of the reasons is that I’m a fan of the game and I have lots of good memories playing it, and I was very sad to see the service ending in December of 2019. It was a server-operated online game, which meant that the fans wouldn’t be able to play the game itself anymore, so I thought: “What can I do for my fellow Frontier fans?” and this is what I came up with.

Q2: Was there anything you were very particular or watchful about?

A2: Since Sunbreak is the follow-up to Rise, I had to carry over the general world design, gameplay, and systems. Within those constraints, I really wanted to add something new to the experience, something fresh for the fans! Espinas fit that concept to a tee, so I was very particular about making sure it was compatible with Sunbreak, while also preserving the monster’s visual image, ecology, and actions from the original game.

For example, Espinas is always asleep at the start of the quest. When the player starts attacking it, it will wake up, and in the original game, it would still just walk around for a while without concerning itself with the player. However, since Sunbreak needed to preserve the quest tempo of Rise, we made some tweaks here, and changed it so that it now immediately starts attacking as soon as the player wakes it up. We made lots of other tweaks as well, such as changes in the thickness of its hide depending on whether it’s angry or not. Everyone on the team was very much aware of having to balance respect towards the source material with the needs and gameplay of Sunbreak.

Q3: How did the series’ producer, Ryozo Tsujimoto, and other people who worked on older MH games respond to this?

A3: I have to say I was pretty nervous when I showed the design doc with all of the new elements for Sunbreak to Tsujimoto-san and Ichinose-san (the Director of Rise)…but they were both very positive towards almost all of the elements I proposed, so I remember being very relieved. Of course, there were some things they ended up shooting down, but I really felt like they were pushing me to make the game I wanted to make, and I’m very grateful for that.

Q4: The third Sunbreak trailer that was shown during the Capcom Showcase in June 2022, and the demo at TGS 2022 really got people talking. What kind of responses did you get?

A4: I got lots of responses from a variety of directions (including from inside the company!), which made me very happy. I was also glad to hear that a lot of people wanted more monsters from Frontier!

However, since Sunbreak was made to be the sequel to Rise, I had to keep compatibility in mind, so I had already firmly decided from an early stage in the game’s design that I was only going to use Espinas, and that I was going to put all of my love as a fan of Frontier into this monster. I hope everyone who played the original game can feel what I was trying to get across.

That said, we went ahead and added Flaming Espinas too, haha.

Thanks for playing, everyone!

– Closing Comment from Shibata:

Thank you, Suzuki-san!

We received a lot of positive feedback to the appearance of Espinas, and “Espinas” was even the top trending term on Twitter for a while after the Capcom Showcase. I’m sure that everyone taking on Espinas for the first time in Sunbreak will be able to appreciate how it maintains respect for the original game, while balancing it with the gameplay and needs of this game.

Next time, I will be talking to Ken Yamazaki about the animations for the monsters appearing in Sunbreak!

A MegaMan NT Warrior anime Twitch marathon is on the way, too!

We’ve just decrypted a fresh batch of Mystery Data about Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection from today’s Capcom Spotlight broadcast, and you read that right – we’re running a marathon of Mega Man NT Warrior on Twitch starting March 21^st at 10:00 AM PT!

We’ll have a full run of episodes from the first two seasons – complete with English dubs – for you to enjoy alongside Twitch chat. Not only that, but the marathon will be open to global co-streaming, so we encourage all of you to co-stream the marathon to your community! Plus, read on for additional news about Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection with lots of info from Mr. Famous (Director Masakazu Eguchi) himself!

More EXE-iting Features for Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection

There’s a lot to download here, so let’s start with Ranked Matches and the Ranks associated with them. If you caught our last big announcement, you probably noticed that there were different names for match types compared to the original games. Lots of people were curious about Ranked Match in particular, so we called in an expert to explain.

“Hello, everyone! Mr. Famous here! When you play in a Ranked Match, you’ll start out at the lowest rank – Rank E. From there, you can climb the ladder up to D, C, B, and A. Beyond that, you’ll reach S, then S++, then the highest rank of all: Ω (Omega)!

“There are no rank rewards or seasonal rank resets, but in ranked matches, you’ll be preferentially matched with NetBattlers in the same range of ranks. It ensures you’ll always have fierce battles against opponents of similar skill! Your ranking can also go down depending on your performance, so maintaining your rank is proof that you’re a skilled NetBattler. Hone your skills and aim for the very top!”

Next, we’d like to share some updates on the “ABD strategy”, or Auto Battle Data strategy. There were a lot of questions about what other adjustments were made besides the TreeBomb Prism combo.

“This was a particularly dreaded strategy that was used in Mega Man Battle Network 4 and 5. When Dark Soul Unison caused Dark MegaMan to act on his own without input from an Operator (that means you, the player!), MegaMan could use a series of powerful Dark Chips. This has been adjusted slightly. If the Battle Chips that MegaMan would use on his own are too unbalanced in his uncontrollable state, then standard Battle Chips are also used to make it difficult for only Dark Chips to be used in succession.

“As a result, the DarkInvis chip from Battle Network 5, which was previously banned in official tournaments in Japan, is now allowed to be used in battle. To be honest, it’s hard to predict what kinds of battles will unfold now…!”

Thanks for the update, Mr. Famous! You need to be careful with those Dark Chips, you know. They may be powerful, but there can be some lasting consequences. Let’s move on to the next topic – the new chip illustrations that were revealed as part of our previous announcement! Please take it away, Mr. Famous!

“In the original games, most chip illustrations were created from design art and then converted into pixel art. However, due to development schedules, the art for some chips was created directly as pixel art. In the Legacy Collection, the chip illustrations are standard illustrations instead of pixel art. For chips that didn’t have design art or only had rough sketches, Art Director Kaji Hayato created new art based on the rough sketches and pixel art.”

Oh, by the way! Mr. Hayato has worked on a large number of Mega Man games over the years, including all of the Mega Man Battle Network games. He also created the design of X from – you already know this, of course – the Mega Man X games!

“These high-quality illustrations can only be seen on the Chip Trading screen, and there are quite a few of them in total! Keep in mind that the in-game art will still be the classic pixel art.”

Now you have even more reasons to trade a variety of chips with other players. You’ll get to see all that amazing art that Mr. Hayato graciously worked on! But there’s even more to cover, so let’s keep going. Battle Chips aren’t the only way to customize your battle experience, after all. Mr. Famous?

“You may already know this, but… Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection features all 499 Patch Cards that were released from Mega Man Battle Network 4 through 6! Similar to Download Chips, there are many people who didn’t have the chance to use Patch Cards when these games were first released. Even for those who were able to, few were able to collect every card. This is something I wanted to have added to Legacy Collection from the very beginning.”

As a sidenote for those not in the know, Patch Cards were unique physical cards that were only released in Japan. They used a special device that would scan the card into the game, modifying it in various ways.

“Using the cards themselves is simple. From the ‘MegaMan’ menu option of each game, a single button press will take you to the Patch Card screen. Select the Patch Card you want from the list to load it into the game!

“Of course, the popular ‘Bass Cross MegaMan’ card that was the talk of the town in Battle Network 5 and 6 is also included! Now, while we’d like to refrain from banning cards as much as possible, we’ve decided the ‘All Guard 1/2’ and ‘All Guard 2/2’ patch cards from Battle Network 4, which cause MegaMan’s guard to always be active when used together, won’t be available to use in online battles. You can still use them in single-player mode, though! Other than that, there are no restrictions, so please use the complete set of Patch Cards as much as you’d like to modify MegaMan to your heart’s desire!”

Now, for those of you whose pulse is in beat with the Battle Network community, we’ve got a few extra-special items to share with you. First up – the Z Saber!

“This was a hot topic recently as fans discovered the famous and elusive Z Saber was available to obtain via a lotto number. This information wasn’t announced way back when, but we figured there must be a lot of people who wanted to try out the Z Saber, so we made it available via both a lotto number and as a Special Card in Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection! As for the appearance of Bass Cross MegaMan in Battle Network 6, it will remain just as it was back in the original game. I wish I could have matched it with Battle Network 5, but we also left it as it was back then too!”

We’re also shining a light on something that will undoubtedly excite long-time Battle Network fans. Would you like to illuminate us, Mr. Famous?

“With permission from Konami, the Boktai collaboration contents have been included in this collection! Unfortunately, crossover battles with the Boktai series won’t be possible. The games in Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection are based on the original Japanese games on Game Boy Advance that required a physical connection to the Boktai series games to access collaboration contents. That said, the Boktai collaboration Battle Chips, newly translated stories, and Patch Cards will be available! These collaborations are available in Mega Man Battle Network 4, 5, and 6.”

Long-time fans are already aware, but to get others up to speed, this content was not available in Western releases of Mega Man Battle Network games. This marks the first time that some of this content will be made available in territories outside Japan!

“As for the specific chip traders in Battle Network 5 and 6, in the original games, some of the traders weren’t available without doing crossover battles first. In Legacy Collection, you’ll be able to find them somewhere on the Internet as you progress through the story. We’ve also made it so that the “crossover points” needed to get chips from these traders are won via Ranked Matches, so be sure to give ranked NetBattling a try!

“In the future, there may be some people who wonder what ‘Crossover Points’ are, so hopefully you can tell your fellow NetBattlers this is the background behind it!”

Ⓒ2005 Konami Digital Entertainment

Finally, we have one more feature to discuss: Buster MAX Mode!

“To put it simply, this function multiplies the attack power of a single normal MegaBuster shot by 100! You can toggle this on and off at any time before selecting a game or during gameplay. It’s completely optional, so you can turn it on to quickly progress through the story, turn it off when you want to enjoy a particular battle, and so on.

“To be clear, it will multiply the damage done by one hundred. That means if a single normal MegaBuster shot does 1 damage, the damage will be 100; if a normal shot does 5 damage, Buster MAX Mode will make it 500. It lets you progress very quickly!

“There are a few things to note, though. The 100x multiplier will not be applied to charge shots or MegaBuster shots that have been modified via a modification card. Buster MAX Mode is automatically turned off during online battles. In addition, the delete time records of bosses from Battle Network 3 onward are not updated when Buster MAX Mode is on.

“I hope you’ll use it when you want to make quick progress in the story and turn it off when you want to focus on intense battles. It’s entirely up to you! I want series newcomers to take their time playing the Battle Network games for the first time. For returning players, it might have been a while since their last play-through. I think it can be difficult for fans to find the time to play nowadays (especially compared to when they were younger), so please don’t hesitate to use this feature! That’s how I feel, and that’s why we’ve enabled all the Download Chips and Patch Cards from the beginning!

“In single-player, it’s okay to use this feature to help you win battles. You can compromise by turning Buster MAX Mode on and off depending on the fight! A different type of challenge awaits you in online battles, where Buster MAX Mode is automatically disabled. You can clear the games on your own and use Buster MAX Mode to collect Battle Chips to use in online NetBattles!”

I’ll leave the last words to Mr. Famous for this one, but for everyone who’s ready to relive some memories or explore the world of Net Society for the very first time, Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection launches in just a few weeks, bringing all ten mainline games to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Steam on April 14^th, 2023. Once more, Mr. Famous, the floor is yours!

“I hope you’ll enjoy the game in your own way using Download Chips, Patch Cards, and Buster MAX Mode at any time you like!

“It’s our sincere hope that you’ll feel the same way you did when you played these games for the first time, thinking about what it would have been like if you had a specific Battle Chip or Patch Card… I hope you’ll play the game with your memories and imagination in your heart! Please wait just a little longer for release!

“I’ve been Mr. Famous!!”

We’d like to take this last day of February to celebrate Black History Month and the Black Capcom Creators community, which continues to be a driving force for a better world with diverse voices and avenues of influence. Please take a moment to read about what Black History Month means to them below.

Athena4Lyfe 

Can you introduce yourself?

Hello, I am Athena, also known as Athena4Lyfe. I am a streamer and content creator. I just really thrive from giving a person a little bit of me in the most authentic way., If there is any chance, I can influence or inspire someone with what I love doing then my goals are met. I really want to leave a positive impression on whomever I can. I have been gaming ever since I was a little girl. I don’t take myself super seriously and I think that allows people to not feel pressured in approaching me. I love laughing and making sure everyone is having a fun time because life is too short to not spend it enjoying the things we love.

What does Black History Month mean to you?

Black History Month means everything to me. As a Black woman in the gaming industry, I find it very comforting to be able to celebrate a month where my forefathers stood for things that will impact generations forever. I am amazed by how much I learn every Black History Month, but I also feel a sense of urgency when I see what the people before me have done. I want to do everything in my power to honor them by being an upstanding citizen and loving being Black and continuing to spread the message that Black is beautiful. Black is smart. Black is magic!

Iceman

Can you introduce yourself?

I’m a variety streamer with a mainly chill, but occasional flurries-of-hype community called The Ice Cave!

What does Black History Month mean to you?

Being a person of color and in the minority, BHM means a lot. Being inspired and being an inspiration to other content creators, or content creators in the making, this month gives us a platform, a voice, to be heard, and to inspire others.

Kallista

Can you introduce yourself?

Hi! I am a cosplayer, gamer, video game reviewer, writer, and video game lore enthusiast! I cosplay characters from video games and from ‘00s anime series.

What does Black History Month mean to you?

BHM is not just a reminder to me, but to everyone to celebrate and uplift Black creators in every form. It’s a reminder of the hardships that all my ancestors went through to give me the pathway to a future that I could create myself.

DeafGamersTV

Can you introduce yourself?

I’m Chris. I’m a Black deaf diabetic gamer from Chicago. I’m a gaming accessibility advocate and consultant to make games more inclusive for deaf and hard-of-hearing gamers.

What does Black History Month mean to you?

BHM is a reminder of our existence that we are still here continuing to educate and spread awareness of our culture whenever it’s food, hair, music, clothing, anything. This is to celebrate the smiles we’ve brought to different communities.

RekonRap

Can you introduce yourself?

My alias is RekonRap and I’m bred from the creative natures expressed in the ‘90s. There’s so many unique gems that cultivated the cultures I’ve involved myself in, so I wish to continue my exploration of that and modernize them in my own way.

What does Black History Month mean to you?

Black History Month brings awareness to how innovative my culture has been and continues to be in every aspect of human life. There are important archetypes that served as catalysts to the everyday leisure we have today.

Shawn K the King

Can you introduce yourself?

I’m a variety gamer that likes to play all games! I grew up as a kid playing all kinds of games, it’s a passion for me to do it as a full-time job now.

What does Black History Month mean to you?

It reflects accomplishments of great people that made a difference in the world.

Cliffdogg

Can you introduce yourself?

I am a variety/fighting game content creator. I’ve been gaming since I was 2 years old. Fighting games run through my veins, but I love to explore what else is out there. When it comes to fighting games, Street Fighter is one my favorites. When it comes to the variety side of things Resident Evil is one of my favorites. My son loves to game with me as well, so I hope we continue to build that bond within each other.

What does Black History Month mean to you?

The appreciation and acknowledgement of blackness and how it permeates all aspects of society.

Thank you to these individuals for sharing their stories and what inspires them in this historic month. Throughout the year, we’ll continue highlighting voices from various groups in order to bring a wider understanding among us all. If you’re interested in joining the Capcom Creators community and sharing your story, check out the details and apply here!

Zangief and Cammy return in Street Fighter 6 along with newcomer Lily. They round out the diverse 18-character launch roster when Street Fighter 6 launches on June 2, 2023!

One of the original World Warriors from Street Fighter II, Zangief is a colossal wrestler dedicated to physical improvement and instructing his students. Find Zangief flexing the beauty of his muscles in front of a raging crowd in Barmaley Steelworks.

Zangief still has his trademark throws like Screw Piledriver and Siberian Express – all of which have been in previous entries in some way or form. During his time teaching, Zangief has picked up a new move called the Tundra Storm, which can be used to counter an opponent’s grounded kick resulting in a damaging throw.

Soaring in as a new character to Street Fighter 6, Lily is a descendant of the Thunderfoot tribe, the same tribe T. Hawk hails from. She speaks with the spirits of nature, trusting in their guidance as she travels the globe. Don’t judge a book by its cover—her small stature conceals truly gigantic power. Her home in the Thunderfoot Settlement is flush with vibrant colors and her people going about their daily lives.

Hailing from the same tribe as T. Hawk, Lily flies towards enemies with Condor Dive, Condor Spire, and Tomahawk Buster. She can use her unique move Condor Wind to grant one Windclad stock, which powers up the aforementioned special moves.

Cammy is a member of British special forces unit Delta Red where she currently works at HQ. She distinguished herself in the operation against Shadaloo, with which she shares a fated connection. Hyper-competent but somewhat moody, Cammy kind of hates everything – except cats.

Cammy fans will feel comfortable with her move set in Street Fighter 6, which improves on her legendary deadly moves. The Heavy version of Spiral Arrow, Cannon Spike, and Hooligan Combination can now be held down to delay the move while also changing its properties or damage. Cammy’s training back at HQ has also opened up more opportunities when using Hooligan Combination, but she wants that to remain confidential for now.

Lastly, we’re proud to announce the return of Capcom Cup for the 2023 season which will feature Street Fighter 6 and a prize pool of $2,000,000 with the winner receiving $1,000,000. Will you be the first Capcom Cup champion for Street Fighter 6?

Street Fighter 6 hits the scene on June 2, 2023 on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and PC!

Sleuths and spirits, rejoice! Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective will reawaken in the physical world with a remaster set to spook your gaming delights in Summer 2023 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam.

Making its first appearance in North America in 2011, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective was directed and written by Shu Takumi. You take the role of Sissel, a phantom who wakes up with no memories and must unravel the mystery behind his death. Sissel utilizes his “Ghost” and “Trick” abilities to possess and manipulate objects in his search for the truth.

Sissel encounters a ragtag band of characters who each may have answers to his death, including Lynne, a witness of Sissel’s death, and Kamila, a little girl who is protected by her dog Missile while awaiting a mysterious fate. Can Sissel figure out their connection to his demise?

As a remaster, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective comes jam-packed with new features including:

• Higher Quality Gameplay: Images and framerates are now adapted for 1080p/60fps visuals
• Optimized UI Features: With new platforms comes compatibility for both controllers and touch screens (applicable only to platforms with built-in touch screen support.)
• Nine Languages (Three Brand New!): Now playable in nine languages, including English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean (new), Simplified Chinese (new), and Traditional Chinese (new)
• New Challenges for Consoles: Newly added Trophies and returning Ghost Puzzles can be obtained by completing different levels of the game
• Fresh Music and Illustrations: Available in the Collection feature, players can now access newly recorded and arranged music tracks alongside unique illustrations

That’s all for now, but don’t be scared! We’ll have more information you’ll die for as we get closer to Summer 2023. In the meantime, we leave you with this: Why are ghosts so lonely? Because they have no body to lean on.

Just a little over a year ago, we kicked off the Capcom Creators program as a way to support, grow and share our appreciation of the amazing content creator community. We’re humbled by the interest and attention the program has received in its first 12 months and are dedicated to continuing to grow Capcom Creators in the years ahead.

We’d like to send a heartfelt thank you to the entire passionate community of streamers, YouTubers, artists, cosplayers, and everything in between that have made the Capcom Creators program what it is today. Without you, this program doesn’t exist.

As a way to further celebrate and cap off our one-year anniversary, we’re highlighting just a small handful of the amazing Capcom Creators below. We wish we had room to highlight everyone but that would be a verrrrry long blog post.

And as a reminder, if you’re interested in joining the program yourself, head to the website here to check out the details and apply!

With that, say hello to the creators below and we can’t wait to find more ways to celebrate with you all in Year Two!

KeeKeexBabyy

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

I am a variety creator who plays literally any and everything, while creating an uplifting and welcoming space for BIPOC & marginalized people like myself. I also cosplay and do part time vtubing.

Follow keekeexbabyy on Instagram – @keekeexbabyy

What is your favorite Capcom game?

Resident Evil, Street Fighter, Devil May Cry, & Monster Hunter games.

What has the Capcom Creators program meant to you?

It has been amazing getting to work closely with Capcom staff on things and having opportunities to play new versions of many of the games that were a big part of my childhood. It has meant so much as the little girl who watched her mom playing Resident Evil and growing up to tell her I am partnered with Capcom and to see how happy & proud of me she is. It just means so much especially because I have so much love for the games.

Nemesis

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

I’m Nemesis! I’m a trans drag queen variety cosplay retro streamer! It’s a mouthful, but I do it all! I’m glad I can be a voice for my community.

Follow Nemesis on Instagram – @nemesislacroix

What was your first Capcom game?

Viewtiful Joe 2

What has the Capcom Creators program meant to you?

It’s been great to network and meet so many faces within the industry, I love to mingle and meet new people in comfortable safe spaces!

Sesame Cosplay

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

I’m primarily a cosplayer but I stream a bit of my making process over on Twitch. I’ve been making cosplay since I was in high school and over the years incorporated or experimented with new techniques. As I got a number of questions of how something was made, I decided to start a Twitch channel where people could ask me in real-time any questions that they might have. Aside from that, I work in the education industry, attend college in a Master’s program and run a taiko drum group. Really, I like being busy.

Follow Sesame on Instagram – @sesame.cos

What is your favorite Capcom game?

Okami

What has the Capcom Creators program meant to you?

It’s been amazing! I’ve been able to meet so many cool people creating things for the games that I love. Especially for the Monster Hunter community! I’ve been able to make so many new friends and we are able to meet up, talk to each other, share reference pictures, talk about new crafting techniques, play the games together, and on and on and on. It’s great!

Nintendads

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

We are primarily a podcast, but also streamers and content creators! Two dads, many hats!

Follow the Nintendads on Instagram – @thenintendads

What is your favorite Capcom game?

Monster Hunter Rise / Sunbreak

What has the Capcom Creators program meant to you?

Being accepted to the Capcom Creators program has meant the world to us! Both of us have played Capcom games since childhood so getting to partner with the company that has made some of our favorite games is a dream come true. Since Monster Hunter Rise released, we’ve been sucked into the world of Monster Hunter and its community, and it has quickly become one of our favorite games. Capcom has showered us with support in many ways such as the Hunter Helper Happy Hour and by sending over the COOLEST box of swag we’ve ever received! It’s wonderful to be acknowledged and validated as a creator by a big publisher like Capcom. This program is truly building something special <3

Emily Serrato

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

I’m a cosplayer, Twitch streamer and dedicated disability advocate in the gaming and esports industries as I am a disabled person myself, working hard to showcase disabled gamers to bring recognition, opportunities and awareness.

Follow tokimekiemily on Instagram – @tokimekiemily

What is your favorite Capcom game?

Street Fighter Alpha 3

What has the Capcom Creators program meant to you?

The Capcom Creators program has meant a lot to me as a Street Fighter fan, cosplayer, and disabled person/disability advocate. Street Fighter inspired me to start playing fighting games, start cosplaying, fight for what I believe in, and share my passion for Street Fighter with others. To represent Capcom and their community as a disabled person speaks volumes because I don’t have the biggest social media following. I’m a small streamer and representative of unseen, unsupported community as the disabled. I’m an example of what is possible when you’re passionate about gaming and love what you do. Thank you for allowing me to shine and show what’s possible when I follow my heart, Capcom. Thank you for allowing me to represent the disabled community.

Aria Mikado

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

I’m a VTuber, and a content creator of many years! I’ve been doing combo and tutorial videos for 14 years and counting for several different games, including those under Capcom’s banner, several of which have made the rounds in places like Shoryuken.com, Eventhubs, Dream Cancel (which I’m an occasional contributor for), and even places like The Daily Dot! I hope to continue making content with the aim of teaching people moving forward. :3

Follow Aria Mikado on Twitter – @AriaMikado

What was your first Capcom game?

My first Capcom game was Street Fighter II, like so many others, but it was the Chip N’ Dale’s Rescue Rangers and Mega Man games that caught me most at a young age. :3

What has the Capcom Creators program meant to you?

The Capcom Creators program has meant a lot to me. As an introvert that finds socializing quite difficult (to put it lightly), being able to be in a place of acceptance and support did a lot to help me start to move out of my comfort zone more, even if my interactions are rare. It’s also helped give me a good deal of confidence, as it’s been a positive sign to me that all the tutorials and the like that I’ve done over the years haven’t gone unappreciated, and that thanks to you all, I have reminders that things that I’ve done have mattered and made a difference, so sincerely, thank you all for everything you do for us.

That’s it for now! We are always looking to highlight more members of our Capcom Creators Program and will continue to do so in 2023. Thank you to each and every single one of you for your passion, support, and love of Capcom games!

Something chilling comes this way. We spilled all the of the icy details on Free Title Update 4 for Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak in the latest digital event! Watch the trailer below or read on to see what’s coming.

Born in a World of Ice

Anyone else just get a chill down their spine? Free Title Update 4 is coming to Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak on Nintendo Switch and PC/Steam on February 7, and with it comes the return of the elusive Elder Dragon, Velkhana.

First introduced in Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, this Elder Dragon is a true master of ice, capable of controlling the cold to freeze everything in its path. Hunters who have spent some time in the Hoarfrost Reach will find this hunt familiar, of course with some new twists to discover in Sunbreak. For newcomers, keep an eye on its ability to freeze water particles in the air. These pillars of ice will hit hard, so follow its tendencies closely in order to triumph.

Get ready for an AMBUSH. We’ve sighted our fourth Risen Elder Dragon…and it’s sure to be a tough one. Risen Crimson Glow Valstrax has overcome the affliction and has emerged in an even more powerful form than before.

Use every trick at your disposal and display your hunting mastery in what is sure to be one of the toughest challenges in Sunbreak to date! As with previous Risen monsters, expect some new never-before-seen moves, as well as the ability to craft a new armor set with its materials.

Speaking of which, here is a look at the two new Velkhana and Crimson Glow Valstrax armor sets.

You can square off against Velkhana starting at MR 10, and Risen Crimson Glow Valstrax at MR 160.

The Anomaly Continues…

As with past Sunbreak Free Title Updates, we’re introducing some new Anomaly Research content to keep your endgame adventures going strong.

A8★ Anomaly Research quests are on the way. Included in this new rank are Afflicted Chaotic Gore Magala and Afflicted versions of previously introduced Risen Elder Dragons. They’ll start appearing from Anomaly Level 111 and above.

If you thought a standard Risen Elder Dragon was tough…well, you get the picture.

Defeat these highly powerful monsters and earn new materials that unlock the level cap for Qurious Crafting for weapons. You’ll be able to improve your weapons even further by increasing the number of Anomaly Slots at your disposal.

We’re also adding even more items at Bahari’s Anomaly Research Lab. Stock up on those Investigation Coins for what awaits!

By the way, this Free Title Update will also include a few additional quality of life additions for Anomaly Research. Previously, you needed to hunt the specified monster in order to make progress towards the Investigation Coin bonus. Now, all Afflicted monsters will count towards the request counter, but if you hunt the requested monster, you’ll receive a bonus. Also, the conditions will be adjusted to more regularly draw a lower quest level for the request.

Free Goodies

To celebrate the addition of Velkhana to Sunbreak, we’re giving out early access to a Palamute Velkhana layered armor! To get the Velkhana Costume, you’ll need to create a Capcom ID account and enter the giveaway before February 5 at 8pm PST.

Capcom ID is our unified account that includes services for a variety of Capcom games. Creating an account is free. The Velkhana Costume will also be available to other players at a later date.

Head to the official website for more details.

Even More Event Quests

We’ve got a bunch more Event Quests on the way, some of which will include new layered armor as rewards. If you’re not familiar with them, Event Quests are new free quests that are routinely added to the game on a near weekly basis.

In this round of Event Quests, we’ve got some intense Dual Threat quests on the way. In one of them, you’ll hunt down both a Seething Bazelgeuse and Chaotic Gore Magala at the same time. In another, Furious Rajang and the powerful Scorned Magnamalo await.

Here’s a quick sampling of some of the armor sets you can craft from completing them.

A Few “Animated” Friends…

Free Title Update 4 also introduces some additional DLC, including layered armor, gestures, poses, BGM, and more fun optional content to spice up your hunting life.

If you’ve been following Minoto’s Hunting Guide on our website and social media channels or taken a look at some of the art around Elgado, you might recognize a few 2D friends brought to life.

Believe it or not, the stars of the Hunting Guide: Lance Gunn, Ran Page, Pup R., and Kit T., are joining Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak as layered armor DLC. They’ve got quite a striking look and make one heck of an impression, so we hope you check it out.

A Look Ahead

That about wraps it up for Free Title Update 4! All of this content will be added for free to the Nintendo Switch and Steam versions of Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak on February 7. We hope you’re excited! Before we go, let’s look at the upcoming roadmap.

Hmm…it looks like Free Title Update 5 will be introducing a fearsome returning Elder Dragon. Guess we’ll have to wait until April to find out what it is!

Keep up to date with the official Monster Hunter Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts for the latest news, and please let us know what you think of Free Title Update 4.

Hello everyone! Koichi Shibata here, reporting from the Monster Hunter Rise dev floor!

For our next Monster Hunter Rise interview, I’ll be talking to Yuya Endo, the lead environment designer, about the locale design!

Q1: First off, could you tell us what your role was on Sunbreak?

A1: I was in charge of overseeing all work regarding the environments, so I was basically managing that department. I was involved in everything environment-related when we started development, including schedule management and communication with other departments, providing support wherever it was needed, and basically being involved in a wide variety of tasks.

This was the first time for me to be in charge of an entire department.

Q2: There are several locales with different characteristics in Sunbreak. Could you tell us a bit more about your overall concepts for the game, as well as the individual concepts per locale?

A2: The locale that is most clearly representative of Sunbreak’s concepts is the Citadel, which was made to reflect the main concept for the new monsters, i.e. “monsters from Western folklore.” From the early design stages, we were already aware that we had to design the environments with the Three Lords in mind, so we had to create territories for each of the three monsters: a forest, a mountain range, and castle ruins, with different visuals to ensure that each area feels like it has its own ecosystem.

We decided on the form and layout of the areas after hammering out the settings for each territory in more detail, while also taking the various gameplay gimmicks proposed by the game designers in mind. Since we have three different areas with wildly varying atmospheres, it was tough to get everything to fit into the game’s memory, and we had to reduce the process load until it just barely fit, so it all worked out somehow in the end… Fortunately, we had a lot of help from other departments, because I was really asking way too much from the members of the environment team. But thanks to their hard work, the entire locale looks beautiful, from the main hunting areas to the various areas that are just for exploring, so I hope everyone takes the time to search every nook and cranny of this lush environment.

Q3: The Jungle and the Forlorn Arena make their return from past titles. How did you decide to bring back these locales in particular?

A3: The Director was the one who proposed which locales to use, so you’ll have to ask him, haha.

From what I’ve heard though, the returning locales were decided based on the monsters that were going to be in this game, and especially the Forlorn Arena was pretty much a lock-in when we decided that Lucent Nargacuga was coming back.
We created these locales to feel nostalgic to people who played those older games, but since the Jungle used to be an environment that was divided up into separate areas, there were a lot of spots where the geometry would fall apart if we simply connected the separate parts together, but if we tried to properly match the parts together, we would end up creating something that would feel different from the locale in the older games… And since there have been a lot improvements in lighting technology since the olden days as well, it’s hard to use smoke and mirrors as well, so the designer in charge of the Jungle really had to think very carefully about how to make this locale work.

The original Jungle was a locale with a lot of verticality, from underground areas to high plateaus, and I think we managed to turn it into a nice seamless three-dimensional locale with plenty of platforming elements. Because of its three-dimensional nature, we ran into some performance and rendering issues with the vertical design, but we managed to resolve this somehow with the help of the Jungle staff and other departments.

The Forlorn Arena actually has an area transition so it’s not one connected stage, but we put a lot of care into the construction of the tower and the backdrop, to make it feel familiar to series veterans. I think we managed to turn it into a more convincing version that shows a bit more of the exact nature and location of the locale.

Q4: In Sunbreak, you can go to the ruins in area 10, and even all the way down into the underground, which wasn’t previously possible, so you really want the extra mile, didn’t you?

A4: At the beginning of development, the ruins in area 10 weren’t actually accessible, but then someone was like “This is dumb! Why can’t I go there!?”… The underground area beneath the ruins used to be a passageway for wyverns only, but we reconstructed it so that the player can now access it as well. I think a lot of fans were wondering why those ruins were there on that remote island when the locale was first introduced all those years ago, so I think we did the right thing by letting the player access it now.

The designer in charge of this area was very adamant about including the underground ruins. It looks a bit like a cave temple. I like it a lot!

Q5: It’s not a locale per se, but the new base, Elgado Outpost, is also very different from Kamura Village in Rise. What kind of themes did you have in mind for this?

A5: Elgado’s theme started out as a “kingdom-like base.” It was built around the crater that ties into the story, and it was made a sort of royal fortress on the land that wasn’t swallowed into the hole. The setting for the kingdom was of a culturally advanced country with access to advanced technology, so we created some background elements like steam-based technology to add flavor.

I was also very particular about including some platforming elements. There are lots of interesting sight-seeing spots, like the Cohoot owlets, and watching down on the crater from the top of the large crane that you can reach by climbing the fortress.
There’s also a trolley driving around the outpost like a sort of roller coaster. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you should really give it a look as it moves around, especially near the Tea Shop.

We also put the various facilities closer to each other to improve usability. There’s a lot more elements crammed into one space than I originally expected, so I was really worried if the performance was going to remain stable… Again, and I feel like a broken record here, but we were able to get everything to work thanks to the environment staff and all staff members from other departments as well. I cannot thank them enough!

– Closing Comment from Shibata:

Thank you, Endo-san!

By looking at the three different areas of the Citadel, you can really see that they are closely tied into the themes of the Three Lords, the three new monsters in Sunbreak, and they offer a glimpse at what makes this new world so unique.
Even returning locales like the Jungle have been recreated to match this game by making them seamless and providing plenty of opportunities for vertical exploration. It’s fun just running and flying around!

Next time, I will be talking to Yoshitake Suzuki, the Director, about Espinas, whose appearance caused quite a stir among the fans!