Palworld: the game that broke records, but while making billions, its creators are drowning in trouble and controversy
The management of Pocketpair, the developers of Palworld, has stated that the company is unable to handle the huge profits the game generates.
Palworld, which launched in January, has become one of the biggest games in the world overnight, driving record sales not only on Steam but also on Xbox Game Pass. A whopping 25 million players have played the $30 game so far, with 15 million copies sold on Steam and 10 million on Xbox.
Pocketpair’s boss, Takuro Mizobe, confirmed in an interview with Bloomberg that Palworld’s production costs were under 1 billion yen ($6.7 million) and profits are in the tens of billions of yen. Mizobe said that this amount is too high for a studio of their size and they have no intention of expanding or offering stock. They prefer to keep their team small (currently 55 people). While they are open to partnerships or acquisitions, they are not yet in talks with Microsoft about a takeover. However, they are planning on bringing the game to multiple platforms, including possibly coming to PlayStation 5 and Nintendo.
Despite its success, the Palworld game is also shrouded in controversy. Pocketpair has reported that some employees have received death threats over claims of “ripping off” Pokémon, which they have denied. Nintendo responded to the removal of the engaging Pokémon mode shortly after the game’s launch, and The Pokémon Company expressed its intention to investigate and take action against Pokémon-related intellectual property infringement.
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