Monster Hunter Is Getting an Animated Special

The Monster Hunter universe is moving from games to an animated special in 2019 with the release of Monster Hunter: Legends of the Guild.

Capcom announced the animated adaptation of the monster-slaying games this week with the developer and publisher partnering with Pure Imagination Studios to release the animated special. The two companies are co-producing and financing the CG Monster Hunter experience that doesn’t have a confirmed released date yet beyond sometime in 2019. Joshua Fine, writer for the Ultimate Spider-Man series and producer for the animated feature Planet Hulk, led the writing of Monster Hunter: Legends of the Guild.

As the name of the franchise suggests, the premise of the games is simple enough. There are huge beasts roaming the lands, and then there are the hunters that take them down with a variety of larger-than-life weapons. The 3D animation will bring more of the same by following the story of a young man set on proving himself as one of the world’s many famous monster hunters. Capcom’s brief summary of the special teases an encounter between the man and a monster called the Elder Dragon, a beast that’s described as “a veritable force of nature made flesh.”

If you followed the past few Monster Hunter games, the games’ producer Ryozo Tsujimoto says that viewers will have an appreciation for the source material that made its way into the special.

“We are thrilled to return fans to the universe of Monster Hunter and expand the series’ rich lore,” said Monster Hunter series producer Tsujimoto. “We think die-hard fans will appreciate our dedication to the source material while those uninitiated to the series will still be treated to an epic adventure in a wholly unique world.”

Pure Imagination Studios, an award-winning studio that’s known for work on Justice League: Battle for Metropolis, Lego Batman, and more previewed the collaboration with a goal of creating a “powerful and engaging” story.

“At Pure Imagination, we focus on building content driven eco-systems and experiences that can live across multiple platforms of engagement,” said John P. Roberts, chief content officer, Pure Imagination Studios. “With Monster Hunter, our talented and diverse group of animators, storytellers and producers, who have created content for LEGO, Marvel and Star Wars, are collaborating with Capcom to create a powerful and engaging story universe to serve its enormous global fanbase.”

Monster Hunter: Legends of the Guild is due out in 2019.