Summary
It’s been a tough month forPalworld. In September,NintendoandThe Pokemon Companyannounced they werefiling a lawsuit against developers Pocketpairfor “infringing multiple patent rights.”
The Japanese indie developerreleased a statement of its ownvowing to fight the suit, with the game’s communityrallying around the surprise mega-hit.
With the legal battle at the forefront of its mind, I spoke to Pocketpair as part of this year’sTokyo Game Show, and while the lawsuit was off the table, the team discussed dealing with its success, the ‘dead game’ allegations, and its plans for the future.
Dealing With Overnight Success
“The idea for Palworld came from our desire to blend various game genres and offer a new experience,” the devs tell me. “The monster-catching element provides a sense of familiarity and exploration, while the survival and action aspects add a unique twist to the gameplay.”
It was this unique “Pokemon with guns” idea that saw the gamesell three million copies in two days, making it one ofthe most-played titles of all time.
“We were pleasantly surprised by Palworld’s early success,” the team says. “More than anything, though, we are grateful that players embraced this new experience. The unique concept resonated with many players, and our focus on listening to feedback and growing alongside our community played a big part in its success.”
Rather than focusing on sudden spikes in concurrent players, we value sustained support and the growth of our community.
At its peak, Palworld had over two million concurrent players, with an average of over a million across January, a number that was clearly unsustainable. The game has now settled with a30-day average of 17 thousand players, a number that is still more than respectable but has meant that Palworld has received the infamous ‘dead game’ label, something the team isn’t too bothered about.
“We are very satisfied with the current player base. Palworld is a game that allows players to enjoy at their own pace, and we aim for long-term growth. Rather than focusing on sudden spikes in concurrent players, we value sustained support and the growth of our community.”
Despite its overnight success, Pocketpair says that its team hasn’t grown too much, preferring to stay small and agile. “We haven’t made any significant expansion to the team. The size of the team remains flexible, and we continue to operate in a way that best suits each project’s needs.”
Dispelling The Free-To-Play Rumors
Ahead of Tokyo Game Show, rumors surfaced, and were quickly shot down, that Palworld was considering going down the free-to-play route. The team says this was something that was never going to happen, instead saying it intends to support the game as it is for the foreseeable future.
We plan to support the game for a long time, offering new content and updates…
“We never envisioned Palworld as a live-service game because we wanted to provide a rich gameplay experience where players can enjoy the game at their own pace. We plan to support the game for a long time, offering new content and updates based on the feedback from our player community. Our goal is to continue evolving and growing the game.”
One of the updates that was confirmed during the show was the much-anticipated PS5 version of the game, with the team confirming that it had always been the plan to release on Sony’s console.
“ThePlayStation 5version was part of our plans from the beginning. However, we prioritized delivering the best experience for players on the initial platforms first, with the strategy of gradually expanding to other platforms. For the PS5 version, we aimed to release it at the optimal time to ensure it provided a satisfying experience for players.”
The Future Of The Palworld IP
When discussing growing the studio, the team used the term “each project’s needs.” This was the first hint that Pocketpair has more cooking with the Palworld IP. Krafton’s PUBG Studios recently confirmed it wasworking on a Palworld mobile title, but details beyond that have remained sparse.
“We believe the world of Palworld holds many possibilities. While we can’t share specific details at the moment, we are always exploring ideas to further expand this universe in different genres and approaches,” the team tells me.
While more games are clearly in the works, something that Pocketpair hasn’t begun planning yet is a sequel, with its full focus on Palworld’s base game.
“We haven’t made any plans for a sequel, but we are always thinking about ways to expand the world of Palworld further. For now, we’re focused on bringing new content and updates to our players.”
We are very interested in the possibility of an anime adaptation, but there are no plans at the moment.
In July,Pocketpair announceda joint venture with Sony Music Entertainment to establish Palworld Entertainment, Inc. with the aim of “accelerating the multifaceted global development of Palworld and its further expansion.” Naturally, this led to rumors that an anime series is in the works, something the company denies—for now.
“We are very interested in the possibility of an anime adaptation, but there are no plans at the moment. The world and characters of Palworld would certainly lend themselves well to animation, so we’re open to exploring that possibility in the future.”
It seems that despite the threat of Nintendo looming over it, Pocketpair is very much planning to stick true to its word, vowing to “march on,” with multiple projects evidently planned for Palworld’s future.
Palworld
WHERE TO PLAY
Palworld has been described as Pokemon with guns and well, it’s hard to argue with that. The game is very similar in nature to the Pokemon formula, tasking you with catching and working with monsters called Pals. There are key differences, though. Palworld is rooted in multiplayer, oh, and, unlike Pokemon, its Pals have guns.
