Pocketpair Grants Staff Day Off for Monster Hunter Wilds Launch After 'Mysterious' Illness Notes

The developer of Palworld, Pocketpair, has shown a delightful gesture by giving its staff the day off to enjoy the launch of Monster Hunter Wilds. As reported by Automaton, the Japanese studio announced on social media that they had received several "mysterious" notices from employees claiming they would "probably be feeling unwell" on the game's release day, February 28. Embracing the enthusiasm, Pocketpair declared this day a sort of holiday for its staff, while reassuring fans that updates on their games would remain unaffected.

Monster Hunter Wilds has made an explosive entry into the gaming world, achieving a remarkable feat of 1 million concurrent players on Steam. This impressive number has propelled the game into Steam's top 10 most-played games of all time, surpassing heavyweights like Baldur's Gate 3, Hogwarts Legacy, and Elden Ring. Despite this success, the game has received a 'mixed' user review rating on Steam, prompting Capcom to release official guidance on PC performance issues. Furthermore, Capcom has teased early details about Monster Hunter Wilds Title Update 1, which will introduce an endgame social hub for players.

The impact of Monster Hunter Wilds is felt worldwide, but it's particularly striking in Japan. Automaton highlighted a local indie developer who humorously noted on social media that they hadn't sold a single game on Steam since Monster Hunter Wilds launched. Pocketpair's tradition of giving staff days off to play major game releases is not new; they did the same when FromSoftware's Elden Ring was released in 2022.

To kickstart your journey in Monster Hunter Wilds, check out our comprehensive guides covering what the game doesn't tell you, a detailed breakdown of all 14 weapon types, and an ongoing walkthrough. For those interested in multiplayer, we have a guide explaining how to play with friends, and for beta participants, instructions on transferring your Monster Hunter Wilds Beta character.

IGN's review of Monster Hunter Wilds awarded it an 8/10, stating, "Monster Hunter Wilds continues to smooth off the rougher corners of the series in smart ways, making for some extremely fun fights but also lacking any real challenge."