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 staff citing potential illness on February 28th, the game's launch day. While a thoughtful gesture, Pocketpair assured fans that game updates would remain unaffected.
Monster Hunter Rise's launch has been phenomenal, boasting 1 million concurrent Steam players, placing it among Steam's top 10 most-played games ever, surpassing titles like Baldur's Gate 3, Hogwarts Legacy, and Elden Ring. Despite this success, the game's Steam reviews are currently "mixed," 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 global, but especially significant in Japan. One Japanese indie developer humorously lamented on social media a complete absence of Steam sales since Monster Hunter Rise's release. This isn't Pocketpair's first "gaming holiday"—a similar event occurred in 2022 for Elden Ring's launch.
To enhance your Monster Hunter Rise experience, explore our resources: uncovered game mechanics, a guide to all 14 weapon types, a walkthrough (in progress), a multiplayer guide, and instructions for transferring beta characters.
IGN awarded Monster Hunter Rise an 8/10, praising its improved combat but noting a lack of significant challenge.
