Palworld Developers Designate Monster Hunter Wilds Launch Day as a Holiday

Ever found yourself feigning a case of the sniffles just to immerse yourself in a newly released game? You’re certainly not alone, and it turns out you share this sneaky enthusiasm with the creators behind 2024’s runaway hit RPG Palworld.

The folks at Pocketpair, the Japanese studio crafting this popular creature-collecting escapade, decided to give their team a break on Friday, February 28. They let the world in on their plans by posting a memo on social media, declaring it an unofficial holiday for the company. The reason? They were inundated with, let’s say, suspicious reports of anticipated sick leaves, conveniently timed with the arrival of Capcom’s much-anticipated Monster Hunter Wilds. Coincidence? I think not!

The memo humorously notes, “Regarding February 28th, we’ve been getting mysterious reports from many employees feeling unwell for tomorrow, thus the company decided to declare a special holiday.”

In a reassuring twist, Pocketpair clarified to their fans in the same memo: “Don’t worry, updates to Palworld and Craftopia are right on track and coming your way as planned.”

Considering the massive popularity of the Monster Hunter series in Japan, it’s hardly a shocker that Palworld’s crew wanted to join the throngs diving into Wilds. And judging by its early performance, they weren’t the only ones.

In fact, Monster Hunter Wilds didn’t just have an impressive debut; it shot past a million concurrent players on Steam, even outpacing Cyberpunk 2077 to secure the seventh spot in Steam’s all-time peak player list. Other platforms like Xbox Series X|S and PS5 undoubtedly saw their share of players too. The game’s soaring launch success coincides with a flood of glowing reviews, boasting a stellar 90 on Metacritic and an 89 on OpenCritic.

Yet, despite the critics’ praise, it seems all isn’t smooth sailing for Wilds—especially on PC. As of now, it holds a mixed reception from players, with only 48% of over 14,000 Steam reviews being positive. This lukewarm reception is largely due to reports of poor optimization and performance glitches, which affect even those with hardware well above the game’s recommended specs. Additionally, some players and critics argue the game feels too easy, a sentiment we’ve echoed in our own review.

Windows Central’s Jez Corden reflects on this in his review: “While fresh players might enjoy the easier learning curve, without some balancing, Monster Hunter Wilds might not capture the longevity of its predecessor.”

There’s no denying issues like lackluster PC performance and reduced challenge have caused some rumbling among die-hard fans. However, many see a solid foundation lying beneath that Capcom could continue to build upon. If history is any indicator, much like 2018’s Monster Hunter World, which received years of improvements and content updates, Wilds is primed for similar growth.

So, while some might find themselves less than thrilled after taking a cheeky sick day to dive into Wilds, at least the day off was a win, right? Not everyone can say they’ve enjoyed that break!

Currently, Monster Hunter Wilds might not be in its finest form—particularly if you’re tackling those beastly creatures on a PC. However, it holds promise for evolution, with potential to morph into one of the top Xbox and PC titles for anyone with a penchant for battling giant monsters in an ARPG setting. Normally priced at $69.99, this adventure is currently available for $58.79 on GreenManGaming—perfect for those looking to join the hunt a little more affordably.