Japanese publisher Capcom is set to ramp up promotion for its Monster Hunter series in Europe, in an attempt to ape the success of the series in the East.

The producer of the PSP Monster Hunter titles, which outsold Wii Fit and Pokémon Diamond in Japan last year, has told MCV that Capcom will focus on promoting the brand before the next title is released in the PAL territories.

“What has been lacking in Europe in the past with the Monster Hunter series is definitely the promotion,” admitted Ryozo Tsujimoto.

“The PR and marketing for the last two titles in the series have been very limited, but this time we’re taking things far more seriously in terms of the promotion.”

Ryozo went on to detail Capcom’s plans to establish the Monster Hunter brand in the UK, after previous titles in the series have failed to rival the incredible sales it has enjoyed in Japan.

“Currently in Europe the Monster Hunter franchise has been fairly quiet, so the first step is to actually get the game noticed. No one here knows what the game is so we just need to spread the name of Monster Hunter,” revealed Tsujimoto, who is also the son of Capcom’s owner.

“The next step will be to explain and convey the information on what the game actually is. Then we want to let people play the game and experience it for themselves. Finally, we need to maintain support for the community, to keep people coming together playing the game. It’s very important for Capcom to strategically plot this path.”

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite for PSP is set to hit Europe in the spring.