Following the showcase of the first gameplay footage of the upcoming mainline chapter of the Monster Hunter series, Monster Hunter World, Producer Ryozo Fujimoto answered a batch of questions from the fans.

We learn that swimming is just a way to travel around the map, but there won't be any underwater hunting. There is more than one map, but Capcom isn't ready to introduce those besides the Ancient Forest. That being said, Fujimoto-san encouraged users to look forward to upcoming news, because the team is preparing some unique maps.

It's worth mentioning that we already know that the transition between maps will be seamless.

It's possible to to toggle the damage display off, but Fujimoto-san mentioned that since the life bar of the monster isn't displayed, players can enjoy playing with the same feel as before even with the damage display on.

Players can still create parties of four people at the base, on top of drop-in multiplayer if a quest is too difficult (by shooting a flare to signal the request). Both voice and text chat are supported.

The ghillie mantle that enables stealth isn't the only new piece of equipment. There is a whole category of "special equipment" that can trigger special skills on a cooldown, including some that are useful while under attack by monsters.

Last, but not least, Fujimoto-san mentioned that PlayStation Plus will be required to play online on PS4, but no further subscription is necessary. He did not explicitly mention Xbox Live Gold, but it's likely that it'll be required as well, but it wasn't named simply because the livestream was for Japan, and in Japan the game is a PS4 exclusive.

If you want to see what the game looks like, you can check out the rather spectacular new gameplay, another  video glimpse on gameplay, the announcement trailer, and some rather lovely screenshots. Recently, we also learned that the game is a full-fledged mainline title of the series and not a spinoff.

Monster Hunter World will release worldwide in early 2018 for PS4, Xbox One and PC.