Monster Hunter World concerns trigger 13% drop for Capcom shares

Capcom's stock price took a hit yesterday, dropping by almost 13% after a report warned of diminishing sales for Monster Hunter World.

The Bank of America Merrill Lynch downgraded Capcom's overall rating to 'underperform', having previously been set at 'neutral', according to the Financial Times (spotted by Variety). It also predicted "significant risk of sales decline" over the next few months.

"Although cumulative sales volume is growing steadily, we get the impression the popularity of Monster Hunter is dying down six months after its release," the report read.

The bank's concerns stem from the fact that while Monster Hunter World enjoyed a strong debut when it launched on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 back in January, it has since lost momentum - particularly over the last few weeks. Drop off in sales is to be expected months after a game's launch, but it appears the bank's analysts were hoping for a slower decline, partially due to the fact that Monster Hunter World is designed to be a longer-tail title.

Capcom has announced a PC version will be released on August 9th, but it seems this isn't enough to reassure investors. The FT reports the publisher's share target price dropped from ¥2,800 (approximately $25.19) to ¥2,300 ($20.71) over the course of yesterday.

It's a disappointing outlook given how well the title has performed for Capcom. Monster Hunter World shipped five million units in its launch weekend and was the fastest-selling entry in the series' history. By March, it had reached 7.5 million units, making it Capcom's best-selling game ever.

In May, the publisher reported the title - then at 7.9 million units shipped - had driven Capcom's most profitable financial year to date.