Palworld Developers Dislike 'Pokemon With Guns' Label

When you think of Palworld, the phrase that likely springs to mind is "Pokemon with guns." This catchy, albeit reductive, label became synonymous with the game almost immediately after its surge in popularity. It's a phrase that was used widely across the internet, including by us at IGN, as a quick and easy way to describe the game to newcomers. The combination of the beloved Pokemon-style creature collecting with the unexpected element of firearms certainly piqued curiosity and contributed to Palworld's viral spread.

However, according to John 'Bucky' Buckley, Pocketpair's communications director and publishing manager, the "Pokemon with guns" moniker was never the intended takeaway. During a talk at the Game Developers Conference, Buckley expressed that Pocketpair doesn't particularly love this label. He recounted the game's initial reveal at the Indie Live Expo in Japan in June 2021, which received a warm reception locally but quickly caught the attention of Western media. From the outset, Palworld was branded as a mix of a "certain franchise" and guns, a tagline that has stuck despite efforts to move past it.

In an interview following his talk, Buckley clarified that Pokemon was not part of the original pitch for Palworld. While the development team includes fans of Pokemon and acknowledged the similarities in monster collecting, their true inspiration was ARK: Survival Evolved. Buckley mentioned their previous game, Craftopia, also drew from ARK, and the goal with Palworld was to expand on that concept. The aim was to create a game centered around creatures with more personality, abilities, and uniqueness, much like ARK's dinosaurs but with an emphasis on automation akin to Factorio.

Buckley admitted that the "Pokemon with guns" label did help boost Palworld's success. He referenced actions like Dave Oshry from New Blood Interactive trademarking "Pokemonwithguns.com," which further fueled the game's notoriety. While he accepts the label as part of the game's journey, Buckley expressed frustration over those who believe it accurately represents the gameplay without trying it first. He emphasized that the game's actual experience is far from what the label suggests.

Moreover, Buckley doesn't see Pokemon as a direct competitor to Palworld, citing minimal audience crossover and pointing to ARK as a more apt comparison. He also dismissed the notion of competition in the gaming industry as largely manufactured, suggesting that the real challenge lies in timing releases rather than competing with specific titles, even successful ones like Helldivers 2.

If Buckley had his way, he would have preferred 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 acknowledged it's not as catchy.

In our full interview, Buckley also discussed potential plans for Palworld on the Nintendo Switch 2, the possibility of Pocketpair being acquired, and more. You can delve into these topics in our comprehensive discussion [ttpp].