Capcom's Big May: A Dragon's Dogma 2 x Monster Hunter Wilds Collab Brewing?

Capcom fans have a lot to keep an eye on as May comes to a close. With anniversary milestones, big update hints, and SteamDB's constant watch, there's more and more talk about what could be the biggest cross-franchise moment for the company in years. There will soon be a new Monster Hunter Wilds collaboration, and Dragon's Dogma 2 may be joining the fray.

First, let's look at the calendar. In North America, the anniversary of the first Dragon's Dogma is May 22. In Europe, it is May 25. These dates happen to fall within a three-week window that Capcom seems to be using to make big announcements. Capcom has used these kinds of anniversaries in the past to reveal news or tease new content, and it looks like they will do the same this year.

The fact that a new Monster Hunter game update has been confirmed makes things even more interesting. The creators have said that 8-star Tempered Apex Predators will be back and have hinted at an internal IP crossover. Capcom hasn't announced the IP yet, but they've worked with Devil May Cry, Mega Man, Street Fighter, and Resident Evil in the past. This time, Dragon's Dogma 2 seems to be the clear favorite.

Why? Because the date is exactly the same as its anniversary. Aside from that, Dragon's Dogma and Monster Hunter work better together than Mega Man or Street Fighter. Both games have big monsters that you can climb, tactical close combat, and now the RE Engine.

On the other hand, there is real competition. Devil May Cry just started a new animated show on Netflix. Season 1 came out on April 3 and got good reviews. That's a great reason for Capcom to bring Dante back into the spotlight with a Monster Hunter crossover.

Also, Street Fighter is getting ready to come out on the Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5. A marketing push through Monster Hunter Wilds could get people interested again and help it reach more people. Notably, the last time these two teams worked together on Street Fighter was more than seven years ago, so it's about time for a return. Still, the Dragon's Dogma link seems like the best fit in terms of both mechanics and theme.

New updates for Dragon's Dogma 2 have been seen on SteamDB, which supports the rumors. In the past few weeks, developers have added new content tags, such as "DLC." This is a clear sign that either an expansion or new downloadable content is on the way. It's still not clear if that's cosmetics or something more substantial, but one thing is for sure: content is on the way.

Just two days ago, another update to SteamDB made changes to make it work better with the Steam Deck. That's interesting because the game already takes a lot of power on even the best consoles. If Capcom has found a way to make Dragon's Dogma 2 work better on handheld devices, it could mean that a trailer or announcement is being made to show it off, possibly as part of a bigger event or collaboration reveal.

When Capcom worked with another franchise on Monster Hunter before, the themed weapons and skins were often based on that franchise. While that is nice, fans are hoping for something bigger this time. Now this is where Dragon's Dogma is different.

Many of the monsters from Dragon's Dogma 2, like the Red Dragon, would fit right in with Monster Hunter. They're big, changeable, and need strategic scaling and fighting, which fits perfectly with Monster Hunter Wilds' style of play. Even better, both games use the RE Engine, which makes it easier than ever to use assets from different games and improve performance.

And from a marketing point of view? Everyone wins. Capcom wants to get more people to play Monster Hunter Wilds, and Dragon's Dogma fans might be more likely to do that than fans of fighting games or direct action games. Dragon's Dogma is a smaller series than DMC or Resident Evil, but Monster Hunter's gameplay audience is a lot more like Dragon's Dogma's.

Capcom also has a secret weapon: Summer Game Fest, which will take place on June 6. In the past, this event was where big Dragon's Dogma news was released. What if the rumors about DLC, Steam Deck compatibility, and collaborations are true? This would be the perfect place for Capcom to blow everyone away with a big trailer or surprise expansion reveal.

Dragon's Dogma's anniversary is May 22–25, Monster Hunter's release date with Street Fighter is the end of May, and Summer Game Fest is on June 6. All of these dates make it clear that Capcom will make a big announcement soon.

Details are still unknown, but the fact that new content was mentioned on SteamDB and Capcom developers have been quiet lately—possibly because of Japan's Golden Week break—makes it look like a DLC or expansion is about to be released. We don't know if this is just a bunch of new items or a full-on story expansion yet, but Dragon's Dogma 2 had a rough time after it came out, so any update would be nice.