Monster Hunter Wilds gets Sapporo Snow Festival sculpture ahead of launch 

In the run up to its February launch, Monster Hunter Wilds is getting an official snow sculpture at the Sapporo Snow Festival in Hokkaido, Japan. The 75^th edition of the festival will run from February 4 to 11, featuring a large range of sculptures made by professionals and local hobbyists alike. 

Capcom has been ramping up the promotion for Monster Hunter Wilds as it nears its February 28 release date, and anticipation for the title has pushed up the company’s share price. The Monster Hunter series’ biggest fanbase is in Japan, and consequently Japan is getting some interesting and bizarre ad campaigns for the upcoming entry to the series (including a long commercial which features a Japanese comedian ‘beating up’ a former pro wrestler posing as a monster, all in aid of demonstrating the game’s new Focus Mode). 

The gigantic Monster Hunter Wilds’ Snow Festival sculpture features a Palico and an Arkveld (the upcoming game’s flagship monster). It is far from the only game and anime-related sculpture chilling out at the festival this year. Others include a snow sculpture of Mario accompanied by Goombas and various other enemies, as well as Studio Ghibli-themed creations like the Catbus from My Neighbor Totoro and Yubaba from Spirited Away. 

Monster Hunter Wilds is scheduled to be released on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC (Steam) on February 28.   

More information about the Sapporo Snow Festival can be found on the official website.