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Shares of the US electric vehicle pioneer Tesla slumped as much as nine percent Tuesday, as investors digested disappointing European sales and chief executive Elon Musk’s aggressive foray into politics.The auto giant sold less than 10,000 units in Europe last month, down around 45 percent from a year earlier.Tesla’s shares fell nine percent in early trading before paring some losses to trade down 8.1 percent at around 12:15 pm local time in Washington (1715 GMT).The decline in the company’s share price dragged its market capitalization back below $1 trillion for the first time since November 2024.Musk has taken on a high-profile advisory role in US President Donald Trump’s administration, charged with slashing government spending.He has also voiced strong support for far-right political leaders in Europe — including in the recent German elections — sparking criticism from some European politicians. “Tesla is clearly facing challenges in Europe and the Musk brand issues are adding to the headwinds,” Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives told AFP in a message, estimating that between 10 and 15 percent of these headwinds were down to anti-Musk behavior. Tesla’s share price surged in the wake of the 2024 US presidential election, with investors betting that Musk’s proximity to Trump could help his companies succeed. The poor sales figures in Europe appear to have punctured that optimism — at least for now — and raised concerns that what may be popular in the United States could in fact be detrimental to the company’s success elsewhere.Musk’s political views in Europe and Germany are “not the best thing for Tesla sales,” Ives said, adding: “It’s like putting mustard on a slice of pizza.”Alongside its European struggles, Tesla also faces stiff competition from automakers like BYD in China — a key market for electric vehicles.Earlier this week, the company announced it would start offering advanced self-driving functions for its cars in China, shortly after BYD said it would introduce self-driving technology for nearly all its vehicles. 

European and US stock markets largely shrugged off Tuesday the latest calls by US President Donald Trump for tariff threats, though tech stocks sagged.Wall Street opened higher, with the Dow and S&P 500 edging up but the tech-heavy Nasdaq slipping.”There hasn’t been a full thrust of buying interest, though, as the recent price action has left participants feeling somewhat sheepish about buying into the weakness,” said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O’Hare.Europe’s main indices were higher in afternoon trading, with defence and banking stocks faring particularly well. A weak session across Asia followed softness in New York on Monday, with the S&P 500 falling below its 50-day moving average. Markets were responding to an “unease over looming US tariff policies and their potential ripple effects on global growth and inflation,” said Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.Trump said Monday that he planned to proceed with tariffs on Canada and Mexico once a 30-day suspension expires next week.Levies were announced against the countries in January but had been delayed to allow for negotiations. Tariffs on Chinese goods went ahead without a grace period.The announcement came after Trump signed a memo at the weekend calling for curbs on Chinese investments in industries including technology and critical infrastructure, healthcare and energy.The developments fanned tensions between the world’s top economic superpowers and added to concerns about the possibility of another debilitating trade war amid growing uncertainty about the global outlook.Tariff fears have been mitigated somewhat by the view that Trump uses tariff threats as a negotiating tactic, but the tech sector has been a point of weakness. China’s DeepSeek unveiling a chatbot that upended the AI industry led traders to reassess their recent vast investments, and a trade war with China could disrupt their businesses.The Magnificent Seven tech stocks, which include Google parent Alphabet, Amazon, Meta and Nvidia, have fallen around 8.5 percent since peaking in early December.Nvidia, whose results on Wednesday will be closely watched for its views on the outlook for AI chip sales in light of the Chinese startup’s arrival, saw its stock fall though its 50-day moving average in trading on Monday.Its shares fell another one percent as trading got underway in New York on Tuesday.Bitcoin fell back below $90,000 for the first time in a little more than a month as the optimism over expected Trump deregulation for the crypto market ebbs away.The sector has also been hit by the recent $1.5 billion hack of Dubai-based cryptocurrency exchange Bybit, representing the biggest crypto theft in history, as well as a memecoin scandal in Argentina.In company news, shares in British consumer goods giant Unilever fell around 2.5 percent after chief executive Hein Schumacher stepped down after less than two years at the helm. – Key figures around 1430 GMT -New York – Dow: UP 0.4 percent at 43,647.31 pointsNew York – S&P 500: FLAT at 5,985.08New York – Nasdaq Composite: DOWN 0.2 percent at 19,243.83London – FTSE 100: UP 0.6 percent at 8,708.87 Paris – CAC 40: UP 0.1 at 8,102.61Frankfurt – DAX: UP 0.4 percent at 22,524.11 Tokyo – Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.4 percent at 38,237.79 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.3 percent at 23,034.02 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.8 percent at 3,346.04 (close)Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0503 from $1.0468 on MondayPound/dollar: UP at $1.2670 from $1.2623Dollar/yen: DOWN at 149.34 from 149.76 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 82.89 pence from 82.91 pence West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.6 percent at $70.30 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.3 percent at $73.83 per barrelburs-rl/js

Stock markets struggled on Tuesday as US President Donald Trump reignited trade war fears after he called for fresh curbs on Chinese investments including in the tech sector.London equities rose while Paris and Frankfurt struggled for direction, with defence and banking stocks faring particularly well. That followed a weak session across Asia and in New York. Global markets were responding to an “unease over looming US tariff policies and their potential ripple effects on global growth and inflation,” said Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.Trump said on Monday that he plans to proceed with tariffs on Canada and Mexico once a 30-day suspension expires next week.Levies were announced against countries in January but had been delayed to allow for negotiations. Tariffs on Chinese goods went ahead without a grace period.The announcement came after Trump signed a memo at the weekend calling for curbs on Chinese investments in industries including technology and critical infrastructure, healthcare and energy.The developments fanned tensions between the world’s top economic superpowers and added to concerns about the possibility of another debilitating trade war amid growing uncertainty about the global outlook.”Trump’s first term as US president was defined by trade wars. We might now be looking at his second term as being a tech war, with the world battling China,” said AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.Hong Kong dropped more than one percent, with Alibaba and e-commerce rival JD.com off more than three percent and Tencent losing nearly three percent. Shanghai and Tokyo stock markets were also in the red.The losses followed a broadly negative day in New York, where tech giants have hit a wall since China’s DeepSeek unveiled a chatbot that upended the AI industry and led traders to reassess their recent vast investments.It also came ahead of the release of earnings from market darling Nvidia, which will be closely watched for its views on the outlook in light of the Chinese startup’s arrival.Seoul retreated as the South Korean central bank cut its economic growth outlook and lowered interest rates amid fears over the US tariffs and the fallout from President Yoon Suk Yeol’s brief declaration of martial law in December.Bitcoin fell back below $90,000 for the first time in a little more than a month as the optimism over expected Trump deregulation for the crypto market ebbs away.The sector has also been hit by the recent $1.5 billion hack of Dubai-based cryptocurrency exchange Bybit, representing the biggest crypto theft in history, as well as a memecoin scandal in Argentina.In company news, shares in British consumer goods giant Unilever fell around two percent after chief executive Hein Schumacher stepped down after less than two years at the helm. – Key figures around 1100 GMT -London – FTSE 100: UP 0.3 percent at 8,686.25 pointsParis – CAC 40: DOWN 0.1 at 8,081.10Frankfurt – DAX: DOWN 0.1 percent at 22,396.74 Tokyo – Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.4 percent at 38,237.79 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.3 percent at 23,034.02 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.8 percent at 3,346.04 (close)New York – Dow: UP 0.1 percent at 43,461.21 (close)Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0473 from $1.0468 on MondayPound/dollar: UP at $1.2625 from $1.2623Dollar/yen: UP at 149.79 from 149.76 yenEuro/pound: UP at 82.97 pence from 82.91 pence West Texas Intermediate: FLAT at $70.71 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: UP 0.3 percent at $74.24 per barrel

The Indonesian government has agreed to terms with Apple to lift a ban on sales of the iPhone 16 model, a government source familiar with the matter told AFP on Tuesday, ending months of negotiations between Jakarta and the tech giant.Indonesia in October prohibited the marketing and sale of the iPhone 16 model over Apple’s failure to meet local investment regulations requiring that 40 percent of phones be made from local parts as the country seeks to boost investments from giant tech companies.The government source did not disclose any information about the terms, nor when the agreed conditions would be presented to the public.In November Indonesia rejected a $100 million investment proposal from Apple, saying it lacked the “fairness” required by the government.The negotiation deadlock forced the tech giant to later offer an investment of $1 billion to build an AirTag factory in the country.Apple and Indonesia’s industry ministry, which will sign off on any agreement, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita had said Apple had not satisfied the government’s requirements, especially when compared with the tech giant’s investments in other countries.Despite the sales ban, the government had allowed iPhone 16s to be carried into Indonesia if they were not being traded commercially. As of the end of 2024, the government estimated about 9,000 units of the new model have entered the country that way. Indonesia also banned the sale of Google Pixel phones for failing to meet the 40 percent parts requirement.Last year Apple chief executive Tim Cook visited Indonesia as the tech giant explores ways to invest in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy and diversify supply chains away from China.He met then-president Joko Widodo and his successor Prabowo Subianto for talks after the iPhone-maker announced it would expand its developer academies in the country.

US electric vehicle giant Tesla has started offering advanced self-driving functions for its cars in China, including autopilot on city streets, the company announced on Tuesday.The announcement comes after years of attempts to overcome regulatory hurdles blocking the update of such features in the world’s largest automobile market.Tesla said in a statement on its WeChat page on Tuesday that it would gradually roll out a software update that includes “automatic Autopilot-assisted driving on city streets”, as well as a rearview mirror function that detects whether drivers are paying attention.The functions described are similar to the “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) capability it offers in the United States. Cars with that capability are not fully autonomous and are meant to be used under driver supervision.The update “has already been released for some car models, and will be gradually rolled out to other suitable car models”, Tesla said.China is a major market for Tesla, where the company has two factories and is trying to compete with fast-growing domestic manufacturers.Tuesday’s statement follows an announcement by Chinese automaker BYD, Tesla’s biggest rival in the country, that it would introduce advanced self-driving technology for nearly all its cars.Tesla has been working to gain approval in China for FSD, which needs to be compliant with strict data and privacy laws.Tesla CEO Elon Musk has made several trips to China in recent years in an effort to win crucial data security clearance for the company’s locally produced models.- Tesla hype -Musk is a key figure in the administration of US President Donald Trump, who has imposed additional tariffs on products from China and has vowed to curb Chinese investments in technology and critical infrastructure.But the Tesla CEO remains a popular figure in China, where he is seen as a successful and influential entrepreneur.Musk has nearly 2.3 million followers on the Chinese social media site Weibo and his mother, Maye Musk, has appeared in advertisements for multiple Chinese consumer brands.On Tuesday, Tesla’s Chinese website was updated to allow customers to select “FSD smart assisted driving function” as a product on available cars.Tesla drivers quickly took to social media to show off the new functions, including posting videos that showed people driving their cars without their hands on the steering wheel.China’s tech companies and automakers have poured billions of dollars into self-driving technology in an effort to catch industry leaders in the United States.While consumers are still unable to purchase fully autonomous vehicles, China has already approved multiple self-driving taxi services in major cities.In the city of Wuhan, more than 500 driverless taxis ferry passengers across large swaths of the city as part of Chinese tech giant Baidu’s Apollo Go project.BYD’s “God’s Eye” autonomous driving system features remote parking and autonomous highway navigation previously found only on more expensive vehicles.The Chinese automaker said this month it would now make the system available even in budget models priced below $10,000.

Asian markets sank on Tuesday as fears of US President Donald Trump’s trade war returned to the fore after he called for fresh curbs on Chinese investments in strategic sectors including technology.The losses followed a broadly negative day in New York, where tech giants have hit a wall since China’s DeepSeek unveiled a chatbot that upended the AI industry and led traders to reassess their recent vast investments.They also come ahead of the release of earnings from market darling Nvidia, which will be closely watched for its views on the outlook in light of the Chinese startup’s arrival.After a healthy run in February, markets have been put on the back foot since Trump said on Monday that he plans to proceed with tariffs on Canada and Mexico once a 30-day suspension expires next week.Levies were announced against countries in January but Trump said they would be delayed by a month to allow for negotiations. Tariffs on Chinese goods went ahead without a grace period.The comments came after Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said earlier in the day that talks would continue this week to avoid the sweeping levies.Asked about a Bloomberg News report that the United States was pushing her government to impose duties on Chinese imports, Sheinbaum said it was important to “prioritise those places where you have trade agreements versus others where you do not have them”.Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly warned “the threat of tariffs is a real one, and may continue for a while”.Trump’s announcement came after he signed a memo at the weekend calling for curbs on Chinese investments in industries including technology and critical infrastructure, healthcare and energy.The memo called for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to be used to restrict Chinese stakeholdings. The move was aimed at promoting foreign investment in the United States, while protecting national security interests “particularly from threats posed by foreign adversaries” like China, the White House said.The memo singled out China for “increasingly exploiting United States capital to develop and modernise its military, intelligence, and other security apparatuses”.China said the “US approach unduly broadens the concept of national security, and is discriminatory”.The developments fanned tensions between the world’s top economic superpowers and added to concerns about the possibility of another debilitating trade war amid growing uncertainty about the global outlook.”We see market volatility continuing in Hong Kong and China as investors digest the latest news on the Trump investment curbs,” said Heron Lim at Moody’s Analytics.However, he added that Trump had been pushing such measures in his first term. Therefore, “Beijing has had some time to mitigate the worst of the damage”, Lim added.”In some sense, the ongoing industrial and R&D policies of China are aimed towards self-reliance. The fact that the stock market in Hong Kong — seen as the barometer of foreign investor trust in China — is a long time away from its pre-pandemic peak tells us that these measures are largely priced into investors’ valuation of Chinese firms.”Hong Kong, where tech titans including Alibaba and Tencent have led the market to a three-year high, was among the biggest losers.The Hang Seng Index dropped more than one percent, with Alibaba and ecommerce rival JD.com off more than three percent and Tencent losing nearly three percent. Alibaba’s New York-listed stock sank more than 10 percent Monday.Shanghai, Tokyo, Sydney, Wellington, Taipei, Manila, Bangkok, Singapore and Jakarta were also in the red.Seoul retreated as the South Korean central bank cut its economic growth outlook and lowered interest rates amid fears over the impact of Trump’s tariff drive and the fallout from President Yoon Suk Yeol’s brief declaration of martial law in December.London was flat at the open while Frankfurt and Paris were down.Bitcoin fell back below $90,000 for the first time in a little more than a month as the optimism over expected Trump deregulation for the crypto market ebbs away.The sector has also been hit by the recent $1.5 billion hack of Dubai-based cryptocurrency exchange Bybit, representing the biggest crypto theft in history, as well as a memecoin scandal in Argentina.- Key figures around 0815 GMT -Tokyo – Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.4 percent at 38,237.79 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.3 percent at 23,034.02 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.8 percent at 3,346.04 (close)London – FTSE 100: FLAT at 8,662.58Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0470 from $1.0468 on MondayPound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2621 from $1.2623Dollar/yen: DOWN at 149.21 from 149.76 yenEuro/pound: UP at 82.96 pence from 82.91 pence West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.2 percent at $70.86 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: UP 0.1 percent at $74.88 per barrelNew York – Dow: UP 0.1 percent at 43,461.21 (close)

South Korea’s central bank on Tuesday slashed interest rates and its annual growth forecast as it looks to bolster the economy in the face of US tariffs and the fallout from President Yoon Suk Yeol’s brief declaration of martial law last year.Asia’s fourth-largest economy expanded less than expected in the final three months of 2024 as Yoon’s martial law move hit consumer confidence and domestic demand.That compounded fears over US President Donald Trump’s hardball trade policies that have seen him impose a broad range of levies on some of his country’s biggest economic partners since taking office in January.An official at the Bank of Korea told AFP it expected gross domestic product to expand 1.5 percent in 2025, down from its initial estimate of 1.9 percent in November.The benchmark interest rate would also be lowered by a quarter of a percentage point, the official said.In a statement released after the meeting, the bank said it projected a “slower recovery in domestic demand and export growth than initially expected”.It blamed “the effects of weakening economic sentiment and the US tariff policy” as well as political uncertainty stemming from the “martial law situation”.”There is a high level of uncertainty regarding the future growth path, including major countries’ trade policies, (and) the direction of the US Federal Reserve’s monetary policy,” it added.Trump warned last week that he would impose tariffs “in the neighbourhood of 25 percent” on auto imports and a similar amount or higher on semiconductors and pharmaceuticals.South Korea is home to the world’s key chipmakers, Samsung and SK hynix, and was the fourth-largest exporter of steel to the United States last year.Governor Rhee Chang-yong said South Korea would continue to face challenges with tariffs unless it develops new industries.”What our government should feel most painfully about the past 10 years is that no new industries have been introduced during this time,” he told reporters.”If we don’t address this issue, these problems will keep recurring,” he added.- ‘Weak’ data -South Korea’s trade ministry last week said it had asked Washington to exclude it from planned US tariffs on steel and aluminium.The country’s steel industry was already facing intense pressure in recent years as it grappled with oversupply — particularly from China — and a decrease in global demand.The US tariffs are likely to intensify those challenges.Analysts warn that should cheap Chinese steel which has been barred from the US market begin to flood regions such as Southeast Asia and Europe, South Korean steel producers will face deepening price competition.The Bank of Korea also said Tuesday that employment had continued to slow.”The data for early 2025 have been weak amid signs the political crisis is weighing on the economy,” Gareth Leather, senior Asia economist at Capital Economics, said.But he added that even if the crisis is resolved soon, growth is likely to remain weak because of a “downturn in the property sector and tight fiscal policy weighing on demand”.Dave Chia, associate economist at Moody’s Analytics, said he expected at least one more rate cut this year.”The boom in artificial intelligence should sustain shipments of advanced memory chips,” he wrote in a note. But a “slowdown in other major categories” stands to limit South Korea’s export growth, he added.

Frankfurt equities squeezed out gains Monday after conservatives led by Friedrich Merz won Germany’s national election, with investors hoping that Europe’s largest economy can emerge from recession.Elsewhere equities mostly slid with investors still concerned about the inflationary effect of US President Donald Trump’s plans to slap tariffs on various trading partners and their impact on interest rates and economic growth.Major US indices finished mostly lower after Trump signaled plans to proceed with tariffs on Canada and Mexico once a 30-day suspension expires.”Markets like certainty,” said Adam Sarhan of 50 Park Investments. “Right now there is high uncertainty.”But earlier, Frankfurt’s DAX index jumped 0.8 percent at the start of trading but gave up part of its gains as the day wore on, closing 0.6 percent higher.Merz urged a speedy formation of a new coalition government, warning that Trump was driving rapid and disruptive changes and that “the world isn’t waiting for us.””The hope that the conservatives’ win might help pull Germany out of economic stupor and help bolster collective defense has lifted investor spirits,” said Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown.European defense stocks gained, with Germany’s Rheinmetall up more than six percent and Britain’s BAE Systems up nearly four percent.With more than 28 percent of the vote, Merz’s CDU/CSU bloc handily defeated Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens, as the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany celebrated a record of over 20 percent.Merz said he would reach out to the Social Democrats with hopes of forging a stable ruling alliance of the two traditional big-tent parties.But CMC Markets analyst Konstantin Oldenburger said the failure of the DAX to hold onto its gains “can likely be attributed to the understanding that the crucial negotiations between the (conservatives) and the SPD are yet to come.”The euro rose against the dollar and the pound.Elsewhere Monday, shares in Amsterdam-listed Just Eat Takeaway soared almost 54 percent after it received a 4.1 billion euro ($4.3 billion) takeover offer from investment giant Prosus.Asian equity markets mostly fell following a dour end to last week for Wall Street fueled by disappointing economic data, with a report on Friday showing that activity in the US key services sector hit a 25-month low in February and that consumer sentiment dived almost 10 percent from January.This week’s calendar includes earnings from artificial intelligence giant Nvidia, key US inflation data and a different reading on consumer confidence.Among individual companies, Starbucks rose 1.3 percent as the coffee giant said it would cut 1,100 corporate and administrative jobs as part of a reorganization under new CEO Brian Niccol.But Alibaba tumbled 10.3 percent after announcing plans to spend more than $50 billion on artificial intelligence over the next three years, sparking worries about profitability.- Key figures around 2140 GMT -New York – Dow: UP 0.1 percent at 43,461.21 (close)New York – S&P 500: DOWN 0.5 percent at 5,983.25 (close)New York – Nasdaq: DOWN 1.2 percent at 19,286.92 (close)Frankfurt – DAX: UP 0.6 percent at 22,425.93 (close)Paris – CAC 40: DOWN 0.8 percent at 8,090.99 (close)London – FTSE 100: FLAT at 8,658.98 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.6 percent at 23,341.61 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.2 percent at 3,373.03 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: Closed for a holidayEuro/dollar: UP at $1.0468 from $1.0458 on FridayPound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2623 from $1.2632Dollar/yen: UP at 149.76 from 149.73 yenEuro/pound: UP at 82.91 pence from 82.79 pence Brent North Sea Crude: UP 0.5 percent at $74.78 per barrelWest Texas Intermediate: UP 0.4 percent at $70.70 per barrelburs-jmb/bfm

Chinese tech giant Alibaba said Monday it will spend more than $50 billion on artificial intelligence and cloud computing over the next three years, a week after co-founder Jack Ma was seen meeting President Xi Jinping.Investors have piled into Chinese technology stocks since the start of the year, with Alibaba — which runs some of the country’s biggest online shopping platforms — seeing its shares soar to three-year highs.But shares of the e-commerce behemoth nosedived in New York after the big investment push raised worries that the spending would dent profitability.”The main takeaway is that Alibaba’s ambitious spending plans for fiscal 2025 are creating some anxiety that the company’s bottom-line will take a sizeable hit this year, negating the momentum that it has garnered,” said a note from Briefing.com.Near 16:35 GMT on Monday, shares of Alibaba were down more than nine percent.Alibaba plans to “invest at least 380 billion yuan ($53 billion) over the next three years to advance its cloud computing and AI infrastructure”, a company statement said.The firm said its strategy was aimed at “reinforcing (Alibaba’s) commitment to long-term technological innovation… (and) underscores the company’s focus on AI-driven growth”.The statement did not detail how the company would allocate the funds or what specific projects would be supported.It did add that the investment would exceed its total AI and cloud spending over the past decade.Alibaba last week reported an eight percent bump in revenue for the three months through December, beating estimates to reach 280 billion yuan — and triggering a 14 percent surge in its Hong Kong shares on Friday.CEO Eddie Wu said last week that the quarterly results “demonstrated substantial progress in (Alibaba’s) ‘user-first, AI-driven’ strategies and the re-accelerated growth of our core businesses”.The company and its industry peers endured years of dampened investor confidence after Beijing launched an aggressive regulatory crackdown on the tech sector in 2020.But they have been riding higher in recent months, buoyed by the launch of a chatbot by Chinese startup DeepSeek that has upended the AI industry.The turnaround comes as the world’s second-largest economy continues to battle sluggish consumption and persistent woes in the property sector.At a rare meeting with business luminaries last week, Xi hailed the private sector and said the current economic problems were “surmountable” — a move widely interpreted as a show of support for big tech.Co-founder Ma remains an influential figure despite no longer being an Alibaba executive and shunning the limelight since authorities brought down affiliate Ant Group’s high-stakes IPO in 2020.His inclusion in the meeting hinted at the billionaire magnate’s potential public rehabilitation following the tangle with regulators.

With “Monster Hunter Wilds” pitting intrepid players against a menagerie of rampaging beasts on PC and consoles from Friday, the game’s creators tell AFP they hope the 20-year-old franchise can still find new audiences.It has been seven years since the last major instalment saw fans draw oversized swords and bows together, in a series whose success is built on cooperative play to take down dragons and other spectacularly-rendered creatures.Co-op is “really the heart of the series and at the core of its DNA,” said the game’s director Yuya Tokuda.Long queues to test the new instalment at conventions and mass participation in an online open test weekend in October have underscored the anticipation in recent months.”Rather than feeling pressure… it’s actually more of a useful chance for us to see the players’ reactions and also get data about what it is we should be working on,” Ryozo Tsujimoto, the series’ 50-something longtime producer said during a trip to Europe weeks ahead of the release.”Wilds” is the first “Monster Hunter” instalment built for latest-generation consoles.Tsujimoto says this will allow for “even more seamless” play, highlighting that there will be no loading screens between players’ base camp and the monster-haunted open world beyond.Such changes “make you feel like you really are part of the ecosystem from start to finish every time you play the game,” he said.But even on more powerful machines, it was “really quite difficult” to populate the environment with the huge numbers of monsters and other creatures that the developers wanted, Tsujimoto added.There were “lots of programming challenges and also hardware challenges,” he said.- Stoking the hype -The “Monster Hunter” series has shipped more than 108 million units since the first release on Playstation 2, making it a second tentpole franchise for Japanese publisher Capcom alongside the “Resident Evil” zombie saga.It took time and several instalments for “Monster Hunter” to win popularity outside Japan itself.Back then, “we didn’t really have a development schedule… set up for simultaneous localised release around the world,” Tsujimoto remembers.That meant delays of up to a year for different language versions to be adapted, undermining the hype around new releases beyond the home market.”All the news about what was going to be in the game, which monsters and features, had already come out globally, players felt like they’d seen it all from looking online,” Tsujimoto said.These days releases are synchronised around the world to strike while the anticipation is at its peak.- Broadening reach -“Monster Hunter” has also benefited from vastly more players able to join in online with high-quality connections.”Breaking down each of those barriers… is what finally brought us out of niche status in the West and into a global blockbuster,” Tsujimoto said.Nevertheless, “there are still people out there who don’t know about ‘Monster Hunter’,” he added.It was up to the studio to “try and find new ways to make sure that the ‘Monster Hunter’ name spreads among as large an audience around the world as possible”.A first film set in the universe of the games, released in 2020, was a relative flop.That hasn’t put off Tsujimoto, who says “image licensing” is “something we’re aways considering as being on the table”.Although naming no plans for the immediate future, the producer is “always thinking of ways to expand the series around the world”, including to “people who don’t play games”, he said.Tsujimoto and Tokuda did not comment on whether “Wilds” would be available for Nintendo’s hotly-anticipated Switch 2 console, set for release later this year.But looking to the future, “we do still have plenty of monster ideas up our sleeves,” Tokuda said.