Palworld

Palworld is an action-adventure survival video game. It was both published and developed by Pocket Pair. The game was released on January 19, 2024 for the Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S for early access.^[1]

Palworld
Developer(s)	Pocket Pair
Publisher(s)	Pocket Pair
Producer(s)	Takuro Mizobe
Programmer(s)	Hiroto Matsutani
Artist(s)	Daiki Kizu
Composer(s)	Tatsuya Yano
Engine	Unreal Engine 5
Platform(s)	Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Release	January 19, 2024 (early access)
Genre(s)	Survival, monster-taming
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

In the game, players travel around an open world area called the Palpagos Islands. They can battle and catch different creatures called Pals using Pal Spheres. They can then battle their Pals against NPCs or have them do different tasks. Players can also purchase Pals from an in-game black market. Players can also be attacked by NPCs if they commit a crime.^[2]

Reception

The game was given mixed and positive reviews from game critics. Critics said that they liked the combat, gameplay, and open world environment. However, they said that they felt like the game tried to hard with its brand of shock humor.^[3][4][5]

The early access for Palworld sold very well as well. It has sold over 15 million copies on Steam and reached 10 players on Xbox worldwide since February 22, 2024.^[6] It became the first game since PUBG: Battlegrounds to have over 2,000,000 simultaneous players on Steam.^[7]

When the game was released, many people said that the design of the characters looked very similar to characters in the Pokémon series and claimed that the creators plagiarized them. Some refering to the game as "Pokémon with guns".^[8][9] The game's producer said that Pokémon wasn't even an inspiration while making the game. Instead stating that their team was inspired by both Ark: Survival Evolved and Rust.^[10] The Pokémon Company posted a statement about the situation, saying "[We] have received many inquiries regarding another company's game released in January 2024... we intend to investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to the Pokémon."^[11]