Good news to everyone who hates friend codes. Although unconfirmed at first, Capcom has announced that they will not be using friend codes when Monster Hunter Tri launches in the US in Spring 2010.

Capcom Community Specialist Shawn Baxter confirmed that the title will be hosted on Capcom-owned servers not Nintendo’s.  As a result, friend codes are scrapped, and going online is done straight from the game’s menu. The game will have its own friend lists.

The jury is still out as to whether or not Capcom will charge for online play.  In Japan, they had to implement a Pay & Play service because of the cost for hosting the online interactions.  However, the game is not nearly as much of a phenomenon here in the U.S. as in Japan. Either way, the game releases early next year to the delight of a nation.

MTVMultiplayer