Palworld Developers Reject 'Pokemon With Guns' Label

When you think of Palworld, the immediate association for many is "Pokemon with guns," a label that has stuck since the game's initial surge in popularity. This catchy, if reductive, phrase was widely used across the internet and even by outlets like IGN, contributing to Palworld's viral success. However, according to Pocketpair's communications director and publishing manager, John 'Bucky' Buckley, this was never the intended takeaway. Speaking at the Game Developers Conference, Buckley expressed that the team at Pocketpair isn't particularly fond of the moniker.

Palworld was first revealed to the public in June 2021 at the Indie Live Expo in Japan, where it received a warm reception. However, as Western media caught wind of the game, it quickly earned the "Pokemon with guns" label, a tag that has persisted despite efforts to redefine the game's image.

In an interview following his talk, Buckley clarified that Pokemon was never part of the original pitch for Palworld. Instead, the game drew inspiration from ARK: Survival Evolved. Many on the development team are fans of ARK, and their previous game, Craftopia, also incorporated elements from it. The vision for Palworld was to expand on ARK's concepts, focusing more on automation and giving each creature unique personalities and abilities.

Buckley acknowledged that the "Pokemon with guns" label did play a significant role in Palworld's success. He mentioned that Dave Oshry from New Blood Interactive even trademarked 'Pokemonwithguns.com', which further fueled the game's visibility. Despite this, Buckley hopes that players will give Palworld a chance beyond the initial label, as the game offers a distinct experience that doesn't align with the simplistic comparison.

Interestingly, Buckley doesn't see Pokemon as a direct competitor to Palworld, suggesting that the game's audience doesn't significantly overlap with Pokemon's. He also downplayed the idea of competition in the gaming industry, viewing it as more of a manufactured concept for marketing purposes. Instead, he believes the real challenge is timing releases amidst a crowded market.

If Buckley could have chosen a different viral tagline for Palworld, he suggested something like "Palworld: It's Kind of Like ARK if ARK Met Factorio and Happy Tree Friends," though he admits it's not as catchy as the existing label.

In our full interview, Buckley also discussed the potential for Palworld on the Nintendo Switch 2, the possibility of Pocketpair being acquired, and more. You can read the complete discussion here.