Monster Hunter: World launched Friday to massive critical praise, but the game’s multiplayer servers haven’t held up to the influx of new hunters. In a tweet Saturday morning, Capcom confirmed it’s investigating matchmaking issues on Xbox One and possibly PS4.
Hello Hunters, we’re aware of the Xbox matchmaking issues and dev team is actively investigating it, we’ll update you as soon as we can.
— Monster Hunter (@monsterhunter) January 27, 2018
“We are aware of the Xbox matchmaking issues and dev team is actively investigating it,” the brief message reads, “we’ll update you as soon as we can.” The tweet was posted several hours ago, and a follow-up has not arrived. The problems range from the specific “error 50382-mw1” network error message to non-responsive SOS signals. While the source tweet mentions Xbox, players on PS4 suffer from similar shortcomings.
Monster Hunter: World can be enjoyed as a single-player experience, but fans of the series have grown familiar with tackling the toughest challenges as a group. As a complete console offering, World has one of the deepest online connectivity suites the franchise has seen to date. Whether from the title screen or mid-game, players have the opportunity to embark on quests and expeditions with friends or randoms. If you’re ever in a troubling situation, sending out an SOS signal is supposed to surround you with skillful hunters in minutes.
Expeditions are focused on freeform exploration of surrounding areas, and they’re generally activated by selecting “return to camp” at the end of a larger quest. These are all great features, but, in the current state of the game, triggering them has become unnecessarily difficult. The multiplayer interface is fairly menu-heavy, which is precisely why we created a multiplayer guide to help new players find their way. If none of those tips work, it’s likely a matchmaking problem on Capcom’s behalf.
These issues are especially troubling considering a Monster Hunter: World beta was hosted on PS4 just days ago. Of course, since the event was a PlayStation exclusive, disgruntled Xbox players have since suggested it might've been smart to host a beta on that platform too. Network issues are part and parcel with most new game releases these days, and, especially for a surprise hit like this, it’s clear Capcom wasn’t expecting the amount of traffic it’s received.
Multiplayer matchmaking issues aside, Monster Hunter: World will likely be one of the highest-rated games of 2018 despite its January release date. We gave the title a nine out of 10, which hovers just below its Metacritic average of 91.
We’ll do our best to update this article with additional information as it arrives.
Monster Hunter: World is available now on PS4 and Xbox One. Be sure to read our Long Sword and Pukei-Pukei guides if you need more help getting started.
