Palworld studio gave staff a day off to play Monster Hunter Wilds

Monster Hunter Wilds is one of the most popular video game franchises and looking at the numbers, it’s easy to tell. However, its popularity in Japan seems to be on a completely different level as reports reveal that companies gave everyone the day off to enjoy the game. Developers behind Palworld also posted the notice on social media.

“For some reason, I received reports from many employees that they might feel unwell tomorrow, so tomorrow has been designated as a special holiday,” Pocketpair wrote a day ahead of Monster Hunter Wilds release with the sick leave being the go-to way for everyone.

なぜか多くの社員から、明日体調不良になるかもしれないという報告を受けたので、明日は特別休暇になりました pic.twitter.com/KhuxHJjUDo

— ポケットペア公式 - Craftopia/クラフトピア (@PocketpairJapan) February 27, 2025

Everyone is taking sick leave to play Monster Hunter Wilds

Pocketpair isn’t the only company that gave its employees a day off, reports regarding a lot of other companies doing the game also surfaced across various social media platforms. This further indicates that Japan might be a huge contributor to the player count that is constantly hovering around a million players since release.

Even if there is no day off, the sick leave trick works and gives people three days of non-stop game time. Despite some shortcomings, Monster Hunter Wilds is overall a good game and one of the best releases of 2025. There are a lot more coming in the next months and next time, we may see sick leaves across other countries too.

Also Read:Monster Hunter Wilds reach 1 million players on Steam within hours of release

GTA 6 may also have same effect

Speaking of best releases this year, GTA 6 is also lined up for a late 2025 release. The release date for the game is yet to be revealed, but rumors suggest a reveal by March end. As per Rockstar Games and parent company Take-Two Interactive, there is currently no delay. Even if there is one, it won’t stop people from calling in sick on the day the game releases.