Exoprimal director discusses bringing the might of Monster Hunter’s Rathalos to the co-op dino shooter

Exoprimal launched at an interesting time, to say the least. Hitting in a surprisingly packed summer window, just after the release of a Capcom giant in Street Fighter 6, it’s been quite the curiosity to follow.

To be up-front, I dig Exoprimal. Blasting apart hordes of dinosaurs with giant mech suits is already a good pitch on paper, and I spent a fair share of time carving through waves of prehistoric predators with my pals. While it takes some time to show its hand, there are some phenomenal moments and fights, especially as players advance deeper into its story through multiplayer missions, similar to the original Titanfall.

On Thursday, January 18, Exoprimal kicks off its third season with a bang: a Monster Hunter collaboration. The crossover brings over new Beta variant Exosuits, a new Neo Triceratops battle, Jungle map, and more. Plus, ဣthe infamous Rathalos is crossing over, adding another 10-player co-op boss through February 12.

Ahead of the crossover, we had a chance to send some questions over to Exoprimal director Takuro Hiraoka. In it, we talked a bit about the MonHun collab, designing the Rathalos fight, and how reception for Exoprimal has been thus far. Here’s how it all came together.

This collaboration marks the second Capcom crossover [the previous being Street Fighter]. Why did you decide on Monster Hunter, compared to other possible franchises?

The Exoprimal development team includes several members who have also worked on games in the Monster Hunter series. When coming up with ideas for Exoprimal’s post-launch updates, we thought we’d like to create Monster Hunter-themed content if Capcom collaborations were to happen. One of Exoprimal’s core combat tenets – the concept of working together with a team of allies to defeat a powerful enemy – fits well with the Monster Hunter series as well. This naturally made us think we’d be able to create an enjoyable gameplay experience where players can go head-to-head with a large monster from that universe. Then, shortly after Exoprimal was first announced, players vocalized their hopes for a collaboration with the Monster Hunter series. That desire from the community was one of the deciding factors behind our decisಞion to mo✤ve forward with this crossover.

How did you work to replicate Monster Hunter ideas inside Exoprimal? Are there any specific “must have” features or ideas you wanted to bring over from Monster Hunter into Exoprimal?

For this collaboration, we wanted to create content that would offer a genuine Monster Hunter experience in Exoprimal through two m🦩ain components: combat and the gꦫameplay cycle.

In terms of combat, we decided to feature one of the Monster Hunter series’ most iconic monsters. Instead of simply creating a battle scenario with Rathalos in the Exoprimal universe, we infused elements that allow players to feel the essence of the Monster Hunter series. This includes the ability to break monster parts and slice off its tail. While playing this collaboration mission, meeting certain in-game conditions will also cause a familiar music track from the Monster Hunter series to play in the background. We encourage you to ♚give this🃏 special mission a try and experience it for yourself!

Next, this crossover’s gameplay cycle also includes collaborative elements. While playing Dino Survival matches, Exofighters will encounter monster tracks across the map. Collecting a certain number of tracks can trigger a final mission where squads are tasked with taking down a Rathalos. This is a nod to Monster Hunter: World, so by all means, enjoy your “Return to World” while playing Exoprimal as well! 
Playing through the Monster Hunter collaboration content will help players better understand the combat and gameplay cycles in Exoprimal. I hope this c🏅rossover encourages new players to suit up and try their hands at b♎ecoming Exofighters.

How did you select which equipment to pair with which exosuit for the collaboration? Did you select the exosuits you wanted to add variations to first, or figure out what kind of monster parts you wanted to work around before that?

The initial candidates were selected from a pool of iconic monsters from the Monster Hunter series. We also considered the popularity of the monsters and armor sets into our choices. Many of my persona👍l favorites were strong contenders, but after careful consideration and internal discussions, the development team ultimately landed on four monsters: Rathalos, Nergigante, Kirin, 🍷and Rajang.

Next, we thought about which Exosuits best complemented each of these monsters. Our selected pairings include perfect matches like Rathalos and Murasame, but we also have pairings like Kirin and Skywave where the armor designs were seamlessly combined with the Exosuit to create a new level of appeal. I feel each of the Exosuit skin designs in this collaboration are fantastic, and I have nothing butܫ the deepest appreciation for our designers’ work.

The develo🐽pment team also wanted to create a unique and exciting Exosuit skin. We decided to move forward with a design that almost completely transforms Roadblock into Rajang. I love the way this skin turned out and hope you’ll enjoy equipping it in the✱ wargames.

Having Rathalos in Exoprimal seems like a pretty big deal. How will the fight differ most from Exoprimal’s other big battles? Will Rathalos use any special mechanics in combat, unique to it?

When incorporating a hunt with Rathalos into Exoprimal, we had our hearts set on making it into a 10-player co-op battle, which are popular in the Exoprimal community. On top of that, it was imperative to make adjustments so Rathalos, who was originally intended for encounters with hunting parties of four, could pose a formidable challenge for squads of 10 Exofighters. Giving the Rathalos new attacks like the ability to unleash massive lasers or send shockwaves across a wide area would have been too far removed from the way it typically fights, causing it to feel like a different monster. So, we designed the Rathalos boss fight in a way that maintains the King of the Skies’ characteristic behaviors while also empowering it with the fortitude to take on 10 Exofighters. It also reinforces a core concept at the root of Exoprimal’s combat – strategic role-based co-op gameplay. I hope you’ll enjoy battling Rathalos, which has been adapted to complement the “massive action” of the Exoprimal universe.

With multiple title updates done, how are you and the team feeling about Exoprimal’s reception so far?

Each time we release a title update, we see that many Exofighters around the world are enjoying the new content, and we feel that players’ reception has generally matched what we hoped it would be. Many individuals who have been playing Exoprimal consist💮ently since launch have been excitedly sharing information abou꧋t the game, which we sincerely appreciate.

With the addition of new Exosuit variants, rigs, and modules, we feel that players are continuing to find new favorite Exosuits, ways to customize their loadouts, and taking advantage of the combat changes and expanded strategy possibilities that each title update brings. We were concerned that the Escape final mission, a 10-player co-op mission that tasks opposing teams to work together mid-match, would be a challenge, but I feel like this mission has become an indispensable part of Exoprimal. 

Exoprimal’s offerings will continue to expand with future title updates and present new challenges to overcome. We hope Exofighter💃s around the world will continue enjoying the wargames!

What are your goals, over the coming year, for Exoprimal?

Our top priority is to expand the ways in which players can enjoy Dino Survival through additional content introduced in post-launch title updates. The development team also hopes the Capcom collaborations and other new content will enable Exofighters to meet new players, as well as grant the Exoprimal community ways to thrive through upcoming featur𓂃es like “Cu🃏stom Matches.”

Can we expect to see more Capcom franchise collaborations in Exoprimal? Would you consider any collaborations outside Capcom, and if so, which ones?

I’m not able to share details just yet, but additional collaborations are in the works. I think you’ll be excited about what’s next for Exoprimal, so stay tuned for more information!