When "Monster Hunter X" was released on Nov. 28 in Japan, it was expected to become a big hit, which was exactly what happened. However, since then, attention has turned to whether the game will be arriving in international markets. And if it does make its way abroad, when will it be released?

As "Monster Hunter X" arrived in stores in Japan, there were tons of news about the game gaining a "rabid fan base" in the country. Lazygamer reports that it has sold about 1.5 million units since it was released, which is rather impressive. More importantly, the site added that this figure was generated from Japan sales alone and no other sales figures were included.

Additionally, as the game is exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS, it has resulted in the handset also selling well over the period. The Nintendo 3DS sold about 100,000 units in the week that "Monster Hunter X" was released. The game helped this particular handheld console surge to the first place, overtaking the popular PlayStation 4 console, which sold about 24,000 units in the same week.

Also, since its release in Japan, "Monster Hunter X" has scored a number of great reviews, which also helped its already high sales. However, while it is likely that the game's popularity in Japan will result in it being pushed to international markets quickly, it is not expected to arrive this year. Capcom, the game's developer, has been vague about an international release date.

As soon as "Monster Hunter X" was released, it was apparent that the game loaded much faster on the new Nintendo 3DS, which was released just about a year ago. This could mean that should "Monster Hunter X" arrive in international locations, gamers will likely buy the new Nintendo 3DS to play the game as it affords several good advantages compared to the older version.