Pocketpair’s creature-raising survival game Palworld has been a hit since its Early Access debut in 2024, and continues to draw players following its recent 1.0 launch. The studio has since broadened its focus, establishing its own indie publishing arm, Pocketpair Publishing, in January 2025, and Palworld’s official trading card game in August 2026. The Palworld franchise is also set to grow with spin-offs like Palworld: Palfarm and Pal♡world! ~More Than Just Pals~, though the developers have no plans to expand Palworld itself into a live-service model.
In a recent sit-down with MP1st, John “Bucky” Buckley, Pocketpair’s Publishing and Communications Lead, discussed the studio’s approach to this topic.
When questioned about why Palworld hasn’t adopted a Fortnite-like metaverse structure (such as integrating Palworld: Palfarm as a new mode), Bucky remarked, “I can definitely see why some fans might expect us to steer Palworld in that direction, but for us… we simply want to craft enjoyable games our way. I realize that sounds a bit worn out, but while we obviously aim for success, chasing profits as fast as possible isn’t what guides our creative choices.” On X, Bucky added, “We could probably transform Palworld into a massive live-service game with loads of DLC and MTX, but I don’t believe it’s the correct path for us.”
He used Palworld: Palfarm as a case in point, explaining that the team felt certain concepts were better suited as separate titles. Instead of creating a farming side mode within Palworld, Pocketpair thinks a dedicated farming game can better evolve its own mechanics and ideas without being limited by the main game’s requirements.
Bucky also shared his thoughts on how the metaverse model has worked for games like Fortnite, noting that while he acknowledges its success for Epic Games, “We don’t view this as one method being superior to another,” and concluded that different franchises will naturally pursue different tactics.
In his personal X post about the MP1st piece, Bucky pointed out that Pocketpair isn’t as profit-driven as some might think, noting that the company is entirely self-owned and self-funded, which means its decision-making is primarily based on what the developers themselves find entertaining.
He also restated to MP1st that “The core Palworld game remains very important to us, and these spin-offs are not meant to replace it. We consider them fresh ways for players to experience the world and characters of Palworld from fresh angles.”
Palworld is now available on PC (Steam/Microsoft Store/Mac App Store), PS5, and Xbox Series X/Xbox One. The game can also be played via Game Pass for PC and Xbox. Two spin-off titles, Palworld: Palfarm and Pal♡world! ~More Than Just Pals~, have also been announced, though release dates are still pending.