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Journalism of Courage
It’s finally happened: After Palworld amassed millions of downloads mere days following release on January 19, Pokémon has finally spoken up about the title, saying that they’ll be “investigating” it. Pokémon fans have cried foul ever since the game was revealed back in 2021, accusing Palworld’s ‘Pals’ of being blatant rip-offs of actual Pokémon.
But it’s clear there’s no stopping the game. With over 7 million copies sold to date, Palworld continues to outpace many other AAA titles out there. But why exactly is it so popular, why it’s called “Pokemon with guns,” and why has it ruffled feathers at Pokemon HQ? Below, we explain everything there’s to know about this game.
Developed by Japanese studio Pocketpair, Palworld blends Pokémon-style monster collecting with the crafting and base-building of a multiplayer survival game. This bizarre combo has absolutely captivated gamers everywhere, skyrocketing Palworld to record sales right out the gate. The game is available on PCs via Steam and Microsoft Store and on Xbox.
The biggest reason behind its hype is that the cute-looking in-game characters, which Palworld calls ‘Pals,’ are such blatant Pokemon imitations. Sparkit, for instance, starts to look suspiciously like Pikachu if you squint a little.
And as if the copycatting isn’t enough, PocketPair’s headquarters are reportedly located about 10 minutes drive from The Pokemon Company. Coincidence? Probably, but we like to imagine there’s something more sinister at play.
Let’s run the numbers before we talk more about the game to get a better idea of how wildly successful it’s gotten in such a short amount of time. Within the first 8 hours, over 1 million gamers grabbed a copy of Palworld on Steam. Not long after, Palworld suffered a server collapse thanks to so many new players trying to log on at once. The devs had to reportedly called an ‘emergency meeting’ with Epic Games just to figure out a way to handle the insane demand.
Fair to say the hype surrounding Palworld simply refuses to fizzle out. In fact, on January 24, the game peaked at over 2 million people playing at the same time. Add to that the fact that as of writing, 7 million copies have been sold – and it’s not even been a week since release! The developers must definitely be losing their minds right now.
So what has got everyone so hyped about this game? At first glimpse, you could mistake it for a messed-up version of Pokémon. You catch and train cute critters called Pals, much like you do on Pokemon. But there’s a twisted catch. Before throwing your Pokéball, you first blast these Pals with guns and grenades to weaken them.
And once captured, you can equip your Pals with guns and weapons of their own to fight alongside you. Just imagine a Pikachu-looking creature running around with an assault rifle – that’s the vibe here.
You can also get these Pals to help you out with other tasks or build your base. It sounds an awful lot like slavery given the violent way you ‘befriend’ them, but at least the Pals do look happy helping you out.
Strip away the cutesy creature collecting, and Palworld is a hardcore survival game. You start with basically your bare hands and have to gather resources to build up a base. You also realise that finding Pals isn’t just about battling – they become vital helpers for automating stuff around your camp. For instance, Foxparks, a furry little red friend that can breathe fire, may not be of much use in battle. But if you keep one at the base, it can help you fire up the grill to cook. That’s just one example though – there are numerous other Pals you can capture to upgrade your base from a basic camp to a proper fortress.
As fun as these virtual pals may be, Palworld also lets you bring your real pals to the game. You can either explore the massive open world solo – or spice things up with up to 32 players online. Take down epic boss Pals, raid enemy bases, and unlock new gear together with your friends in your quest to become the ultimate survivor.
While gamers are loving Palworld so far, it’s kicked up some controversies too. Fans are crying foul that many Pals look almost identical to actual Pokémon. Could lawsuits be coming?
Some also claim AI was used to auto-generate the creature designs. And organizations like PETA aren’t thrilled about the violence against Pals, calling for non-violent play options. “PETA has already heard from many Palworld fans who have no interest in eating ‘Pals’ and want a vegan guide created for the game,” a PETA spokesperson told Insider Gaming in a statement.
But the developers are probably just laughing all the way to the bank right now, with millions rolling in daily.
What does sound concerning though is The Pokemon Company’s statement from Thursday, where it said it’s not granted any permission to “another company” and that it “intends to investigate and take appropriate measures” against Palworld.
Since this is an early-access game, some bugs and technical issues can be expected. The servers also continue to struggle to keep up with demand. But critics do say that none of these are dealbreakers and the game is still surprisingly stable for its early access stage.
It’s clear Palworld has captured lightning in a bottle. The core idea just works. As the game improves over time, it could become a longstanding hit.
