Publisher Capcom has announced that Japanese mega hit Monster Hunter Tri will be released in the UK and Europe early next year.

Tri marks the series’ first foray onto Wii and Capcom hopes that the combination of one of its key IPs and the hugely popular Wii will result in massive sales and a whole new fanbase for the series.

Ahead of its release in Japan last week, the game had already seen over one million pre-orders at Japanese retail.

“The popularity of the Monster Hunter franchise in Japan is undeniable and the day one shipment number indicates that the release of Monster Hunter Tri on Wii will be another major hit for the series,” Nintendo Europe’s MD Laurent Fischer stated.

“We are really excited that Capcom is bringing this title to Europe so the Wii audience here can also experience the thrill of the hunt.”

Monster Hunter is one of the biggest properties in the Japanese games market, rivalling the likes of Resident Evil, Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest in the popularity stakes.

Capcom has repeatedly expressed its desire to transport that brand loyalty to the West but admitted in its recent financial posting that its failure to do so to date is ‘frustrating’.