The high cost of PlayStation 5 gaming is impacting sales of Monster Hunter Wilds, according to Capcom.

Monster Hunter Wilds enjoyed an exceptional sales launch in February. It broke Capcom records by selling 10.1 million copies, with 8 million of those sold within just three days, quickly becoming the best-selling game in the U.S. for the year based on Circana data.

However, for the quarter ending June 30, Monster Hunter Wilds sold 477,000 copies, only slightly more than the 389,000 copies of the four-year-old Monster Hunter Rise. During that quarter, Wilds was Capcom's ninth best-selling title, while Rise ranked tenth.

In its financial report, Capcom stated: "For catalog titles, while sales were soft for the series' latest entry, Monster Hunter Wilds, the previous title Monster Hunter Rise continued to show steady sales growth."

As reported by Automaton, Capcom president Haruhiro Tsujimoto told Nikkei Gaming that the overall cost to play Monster Hunter Wilds on PS5 is "quite high." Capcom had initially projected the PS5 as the primary platform for the game's launch sales.

Here’s Automaton:

In his interview with Nikkei Gaming, Tsujimoto explained that Capcom expected the PlayStation 5 to be the main platform for Monster Hunter Wilds when forecasting initial sales. However, factoring in the console, accessories, and subscriptions like PlayStation Plus, the total cost for a PS5 setup approaches about 100,000 JPY (approximately $677 USD). With Monster Hunter Wilds priced at $70, many potential players — especially younger gamers without a steady income — are choosing to buy older, more complete entries like Monster Hunter World (which can be as low as $9.89) and Monster Hunter Rise ($9.99) instead of investing in a new console for a game that currently has less content. Tsujimoto acknowledges that the barrier to entry for playing Wilds on PS5 is substantial.

The expense of PS5 gaming worsened last month when Sony announced a $50 price increase for the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 5 Digital Edition, and PlayStation 5 Pro. The standard PS5 with a disc drive rose to $549.99, the Digital Edition increased to $499.99, and the PS5 Pro now costs $749.99. These new prices took effect in the U.S. on August 21.

"Like many global companies, we are operating in a challenging economic climate," said Isabelle Tomatis, Sony Interactive Entertainment's Vice President of Global Marketing, in a statement. "Consequently, we have made the difficult decision to raise the recommended retail price for PlayStation 5 consoles in the U.S. starting August 21."

Tsujimoto’s comments did not address Xbox console pricing.

So what is the solution? Discounts appear to be one approach, along with adding more content through updates. A potential release on the highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 could also boost sales.

Of course, players of Monster Hunter Wilds may have their own explanations for the game’s inconsistent sales compared to earlier titles. Despite a strong initial critical reception, many feel Wilds’ endgame content is significantly lacking compared to previous games. The PC version also continues to suffer from serious performance problems that are not yet fully fixed. Even with new content and seasonal updates, fan dissatisfaction persists — to the extent that some individuals have reportedly harassed and threatened Capcom development team members.

On Steam, Monster Hunter Wilds has a 'Mixed' overall user review rating, but recent reviews are rated 'Mostly Negative.'