Palworld Devs Reject 'Pokemon With Guns' Label

When you think of Palworld, the immediate association for many is "Pokemon with guns," a label that, despite its viral spread, doesn't sit well with the game's creators at Pocketpair. This shorthand, popularized when the game first gained traction, was never the intended takeaway according to John 'Bucky' Buckley, Pocketpair's communications director and publishing manager. In a talk at the Game Developers Conference and a subsequent interview, Buckley emphasized that the game's core inspiration was more aligned with ARK: Survival Evolved than with Pokemon.

Palworld was initially showcased at Indie Live Expo in Japan in June 2021, where it received a warm reception. However, as Western media got wind of it, the "Pokemon with guns" label quickly stuck, overshadowing the game's true essence. Buckley admitted that while the team at Pocketpair are fans of Pokemon and recognize the monster-collecting similarities, their goal was to create a game with a focus on automation and unique creature abilities, drawing more from ARK and their previous game, Craftopia.

Despite the unintended label, Buckley acknowledges that "Pokemon with guns" played a significant role in boosting Palworld's popularity. However, he expressed frustration that some people still believe this is an accurate representation of the game without experiencing it firsthand. Buckley doesn't see Pokemon as a direct competitor, citing minimal audience crossover and pointing to ARK as a closer parallel.

Buckley also discussed the broader gaming industry's competitive landscape, dismissing the notion of direct competition between games as somewhat manufactured for marketing purposes. He believes that games compete more with release timing than with each other directly.

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." While he admits this doesn't roll off the tongue as easily as "Pokemon with guns," it more accurately reflects the game's intended identity.

In our interview, Buckley and I also touched on potential future developments, such as a possible release on the Nintendo Switch 2 and the company's stance on acquisition, which you can read about in the full discussion linked here.