We’ve got some exciting news on the Monster Hunter front today. First off, you can now put in your calendars that Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate comes out on March 19 in North America and on March 22 in Europe! Also, the game will be coming out as a Digital Download to the 3DS and Wii U around the same timeframe; and to make the wait a little easier to handle, there’s a demo coming digitally to both platforms on February 21. There’s an awesome new trailer and more info after the jump!

And if you live in the SF Bay Area, you can get early hands-on time with the game next Wednesday !

We’re also proud to announce that the Wii U version of MH3U will support Voice Chat for the online multiplayer, so you never have to let go of the controller to communicate with your hunting pals! But if you prefer the old-school Text Chat, the game offers that as well in two flavors: you can use the Wii U GamePad touch screen keyboard or plug in a regular USB keyboard.

As you can see above, we’ve also got box art for both versions of the game; and there’s also a number of new screenshots to share with you. Enjoy!

Now, onto some news about Monster Hunter Tri (Wii):

As we usher in the exciting new Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate games, we unfortunately will be transitioning off the Monster Hunter Tri servers for Wii. This won’t happen until April 30, 2013 however, which will be 6 weeks after the launch of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. With the new title, there will be a new place for all of you to gather and hunt online with each other, and we hope you will continue to play together on Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate.

Also remember that we’re streaming Monster Hunter every Monday now, and will include MHTri on the majority of the streams before the transition period. If you’re still hunting online on MHTri, make sure to come join us on the streams!

Anyways, the good news is there’s great stuff to look forward to with regards to the new Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate game, and I hope you’re as excited as I am about this title. Here’s a quick recap of the good stuff:

RELEASE DATE

North America – March 19

Europe – March 22

(also coming as a Digital Download around this timeframe)

DEMO

February 21

Coming to both 3DS and Wii U

ONLINE COMMUNICATION (Wii U version)

Text Chat (virtual keyboard or USB keyboard)

Voice Chat supported

That’s it for today’s announcements; be sure to follow the Monster Hunter blog for more info on the upcoming monsters and weapons of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate and other MH related news!