Years before Monster Hunter World, producer Ryozo Tsujimoto says a PSP game was the series' true turning point.
Speaking to The Sankei Shimbun (translated via Google, DeepL), Tsujimoto notes that 2008's Monster Hunter Freedom 2 came "at a time when people were less likely to gather at friends' houses and play games together." Getting players to take advantage of Monster Hunter's online multiplayer with the PS2 had been a bit of a struggle, he notes, but the PSP allowed for far easier co-op.
