The developer of Palworld, Pocketpair, has granted its staff a day off to enjoy the release of Monster Hunter Wilds. As reported by Automaton, the Japanese studio humorously announced on social media that several employees had mysteriously claimed they would be "feeling unwell" on the game's release day, February 28. Embracing the spirit of the occasion, Pocketpair declared it a sort of holiday for its team, ensuring fans that game updates would not be affected by this gesture.

Monster Hunter Wilds has made a remarkable debut, achieving 1 million concurrent players on Steam and securing a spot in the platform's top 10 most-played games of all time, surpassing titles 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. Additionally, Capcom has revealed preliminary information about Monster Hunter Wilds Title Update 1, which will introduce an endgame social hub.

The launch of Monster Hunter Wilds has had a significant global impact, with a particularly notable effect in Japan. Automaton highlighted a Japanese indie developer's light-hearted social media post about not selling a single game on Steam since Monster Hunter Wilds' release. This isn't the first time Pocketpair has shown such generosity; they previously gave their staff a day off to play FromSoftware's Elden Ring in 2022.

To help you dive into Monster Hunter Wilds, we've compiled resources including what the game doesn't tell you, a comprehensive guide to all 14 weapon types, an ongoing walkthrough, a multiplayer guide for playing with friends, and instructions on transferring your character from the open beta. IGN's review of Monster Hunter Wilds awarded it an 8/10, praising the game for refining the series' mechanics to deliver enjoyable combat, though noting a lack of significant challenge.