Bad news if you're a fan of a-slayin' monsters with Capcom. Monster Hunter World: Iceborne's Title Update 4 has been postponed indefinitely due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The update would have seen the return of fan favorite monster Alatreon as well as weapons and armor related to the creature.
This news comes via a tweet on the official Monster Hunter Twitter page. In the tweet, Capcom says that "impacts on production" related to COVID-19 have necessitated a delay to the release of Iceborne's Title Update 4. In addition to this update, the coronavirus has also slammed the brakes on voiceover production for the Italian, Spanish, and French-language versions of Iceborne. Simplified recordings of voice work for those games will be released instead of what was originally planned.
Attention Hunters, we have an important message about the development of future Title Updates for #Iceborne. pic.twitter.com/WZiEleTyTv
— Monster Hunter (@monsterhunter) April 28, 2020
When will the new Monster Hunter World: Iceborne update arrive?
Capcom has also updated the Monster Hunter World: Iceborne roadmap to reflect the changes. Title Update 4 is now scheduled for "TBD", along with "new monsters and updates planned for the future". It's not clear how the coronavirus has affected those updates. They're probably a little too far off for Capcom to know whether work on them will be affected or not. It's worth noting here that Capcom has had an employee contract COVID-19, so its staff is working entirely from home. This is likely to have a significant impact on future updates.
The upcoming Arch-Tempered Namielle event is unaffected by the delay and will still go ahead starting May 1st. This event brings with it new layered armor and accessories, as well as a limited time quest for you to tackle. In light of the delay, Capcom says it's also extending the availability of most Monster Hunter World and Iceborne event quests "for the foreseeable future".
This is the latest in a long line of industry delays or cancellations related to COVID-19. Earlier this month, Japan declared a state of emergency, which means companies are on mandatory work-at-home orders until at least May 6th. High-profile gaming events like PAX East, GDC, and E3 have been canceled worldwide due to the virus. We've also seen COVID-19 delay the Nintendo Switch port of The Outer Worlds, the PC port of Death Stranding, and potentially updates for Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Here's hoping the new Monster Hunter World: Iceborne content comes sooner rather than later.
Read more about how the COVID-19 novel coronavirus is affecting the gaming world at our Coronavirus Gaming Convention Cancellations and Game Delays Hub.
Are you sad about the delay to Alatreon's arrival? Comforting yourself through this crisis by playing lots of Monster Hunter World: Iceborne? Let us know in the comments below!