Palworld Dev Pocketpair Gives Employees Monster Hunter Wilds Launch Day Off After Receiving ‘Mysterious’ Notes From Staff Who Said They’d Probably Be Too Unwell to Work

Pocketpair, the studio behind Palworld, granted its employees a company-wide holiday to celebrate the release of Monster Hunter Rise. Automaton reported that the studio received numerous "mysterious" absence notices from employees citing potential illness on the game's launch day, February 28th. While a playful gesture, Pocketpair assured fans that game updates would remain unaffected.

Monster Hunter Rise Weapons Tier List

Monster Hunter Rise Weapons Tier List

Monster Hunter Rise launched to phenomenal success, boasting over 1 million concurrent Steam players, securing a spot in Steam's top 10 most-played games, surpassing titles like Baldur's Gate 3, Hogwarts Legacy, and Elden Ring. Despite this, the game received mixed Steam reviews, prompting Capcom to release PC performance optimization guidance and announce details for Title Update 1, which will introduce an endgame social hub.

The game's impact is worldwide, but especially notable in Japan. Automaton highlighted a Japanese indie developer who humorously lamented a complete absence of Steam sales since Monster Hunter Rise's release. This isn't Pocketpair's first instance of granting employees game-day leave; a similar occurrence happened in 2022 for Elden Ring's launch.

To enhance your Monster Hunter Rise experience, explore our resources: uncovered game mechanics, a comprehensive guide to all 14 weapon types, a detailed walkthrough (in progress), a multiplayer guide, and instructions for transferring beta characters.

IGN awarded Monster Hunter Rise an 8/10, stating: "Monster Hunter Rise cleverly streamlines the series' complexities, resulting in incredibly enjoyable combat, albeit lacking significant challenge."