Pocketpair’s monster-taming survival game Palworld has been a massive hit since its Early Access debut in 2024, and continues to captivate gamers following its recent 1.0 launch. The studio has since broadened its scope, establishing its own indie publishing arm called Pocketpair Publishing in January 2025, and Palworld’s official TCG in August 2026. The Palworld franchise is also set to grow through spin-offs like Palworld: Palfarm and Pal♡world! ~More Than Just Pals~, though the developers have no plans to transform Palworld into a live-service experience.
In a recent interview with MP1st, John “Bucky” Buckley, Pocketpair’s Head of Publishing and Communications, discussed the studio’s approach to the franchise’s future.
When questioned about why Palworld hasn’t embraced a Fortnite-like metaverse structure (such as integrating Palworld: Palfarm as a new mode), Bucky remarked, “I can certainly see why some might expect us to steer Palworld in that direction, but for us… we simply want to create fun games our own way. I know that sounds a bit cliché, but while we obviously want our games to succeed, rushing for maximum revenue isn’t what guides our creative choices.” On X, Bucky added, “We could probably turn Palworld into a big live-service game with plenty of DLC and MTX, but I don’t think that’s the right path for us.”
He used Palworld: Palfarm as an illustration of this philosophy, explaining that the team felt certain concepts were better suited as standalone games. Rather than including a farming side mode in Palworld, Pocketpair believes a dedicated farming title offers more freedom to develop its own mechanics and ideas without being limited by the main game’s requirements.
Bucky also shared his thoughts on the metaverse format’s success with games like Fortnite, noting that while he recognizes it works well for Epic Games, “We don’t view this as one approach being superior to another,” and concluded that different franchises will naturally pursue different strategies.
In a personal X post promoting the MP1st interview, Bucky emphasized that Pocketpair isn’t as profit-driven as some might believe, noting that the company is entirely self-owned and self-funded, which means its decisions are primarily based on what the developers find enjoyable.
He also reiterated to MP1st that “The core Palworld game remains critically important to us, and these spin-offs are not meant to replace it. We see them as fresh ways for players to experience the world and characters of Palworld from new angles.”
Palworld is now available on PC (Steam/Microsoft Store/Mac App Store), PS5, and Xbox Series X/Xbox One. The game is also accessible via Game Pass for PC and Xbox. Two spin-off titles, Palworld: Palfarm and Pal♡world! ~More Than Just Pals~ have been announced, though release dates are still pending.