There’s No Such Thing As A “Desire Sensor” Says Monster Hunter Producer

If you haven’t heard of it before, the “Desire Sensor” is a Monster Hunter urban legend that is often discussed on message boards. The theory behind it is that the Monster Hunter games are programmed to detect what kind of loot the player is searching for, and automatically make it harder to find, in order to keep you playing.

When Siliconera recently met with series producer Ryozo Tsujimoto, we asked him if there actually was such a thing in the game, as far-fetched as it sounds. Are the Monster Hunter games coded to detect what loot drops you need and to make them harder to find?

“You should probably wear gloves when you play. Try not to sweat, because it’s sensing your nervousness from the sweat on your hands,” Tsujimoto joked.

“To be honest, that’s something that’s a popular urban legend. We actually hear that a lot, but it’s just a form of confirmation bias. When you’re looking for something specific, it feels like you never come across it. I myself experience that while playing—we’re all on an even playing field.”

“That is absolutely not a thing,” Tsujimoto reiterated with a laugh, when we asked if he was confirming there was no code in the game that can detect what items you’re looking for. “What people are seeing is just confirmation bias.”