When Dauntless was first introduced to the world many fans compared the game to the Monster Hunter. The idea for the game was to take hunting action titles such as Monster Hunter and refine the rough edges to bring a similar game to a more broad PC gaming audience. While that may have initially seemed like a great idea, the coming of E3 saw Monster Hunter announcing a return to console on the PlayStation 4 and even making its way across platform to Xbox One and PC. Many fans assumed that interest in similar title would die out but Dauntless developers don’t seem to be worried in the least. In fact, they’re “super excited” to have more hunting action titles in the same space.

During an interview at E3, executive producer of Phoenix Labs Jesse Houston explained that they just aren’t worried about competition with the Monster Hunter World, hoping that the genre will break out from its niche status here in the West and grow into something more mainstream.

They’re still predominantly single-player. We’re kind of taking more of the Destiny style. We’re focused on the cooperative experience and always online.”

Currently, Monster Hunter titles primarily focus on single player hunting, while Dauntless places a major focus on teamwork. Players may be able to take on the creatures of the world solo but they are tuned differently for that kind of play. While solo hunting will be welcomed in Dauntless, the primary focus of the game will be multiplayer co-op play. Another key feature is that the game will be free-to-play. Dauntless developers asked Alpha players what they’re their favorite games were in comparison:

Monster Hunter does come up a lot, but surprisingly it’s mostly games like Warframe and Path of Exile — other player-versus-environment co-op games.”

Due to this, Dauntless will follow a similar model, letting players purchase a multitude of cosmetic items while content that actually effects gameplay will be earned purely through the game itself. The team behind the upcoming title will be releasing a Founder’s alpha on August 18th, allowing those who paid for a $99 Founder’s Pack to be granted access to the game. An open beta will allow more people test out the game later this year.

How do you see the growth of this genre in the coming gaming generations? Let us know what you think about Dauntless and the possibility of expanding the hunting action genre in the comments section below. As always, don’t forget to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter for 24/7 coverage of all things gaming and entertainment.