Monster Hunter went on a Western World hiatus for a bit (Unfortunately), but not because they did not want us to enjoy it. We did not vote well enough with our wallets over here to make it seem like a worthwhile investment. Interest is a huge driving factor, and if the interest does not seem to be there, why go through all the trouble of localization?
I want to talk about this (incorrect) conclusion specifically, because it highlights just how much decision-making goes into picking games for localization.
MHP3rd, P3rdHD, and MH4 were the only mainline games passed on for a western release.
- A slight tangent for context: MHTri sold absolute gangbusters, even outside Japan. According to sales figures, it seems it sold EVEN MORE outside Japan than it did inside. Over 1m western sales on the Wii. Insane numbers for a 3rd party Wii game.
- P3rd came out in Japan towards the end of the PSP's life cycle. If it would've released in the west, it probably would have come out during 2011 or 2012, when the PSP's death was visible over the horizon. Also, by 2010, PSP piracy was rampant and incredibly easy to access--you could literally use an off-the shelf console to pirate games with. Capcom could easily have come to the conclusion that piracy would impact sales to the point where it wouldn't be worth the cost.
- You can blame Sony directly for P3rdHD. That game didn't support trophies. At the time, Sony US required EVERY SINGLE game to have trophies. Add to that the fact that the game wasn't yet localized, and you can almost physically smell the sunk cost.
- No idea why MH3U left Japan so late. It sure as heck isn't because MHTri sold poorly.
- MH4 came out very soon after the western release of MH3U. Capcom US had info about MH4G long before its announcement, and it's very likely they made the decision to skip it and release the expanded version to give 3U time to breathe, save on localization costs by doing it all at once, and help out Nintendo by being the killer app for their New Nintendo 3DS on its launch.