Palworld Won't Answer the Question 'What's Beyond AAA?'

Palworld's Unexpected Path: From Massive Success to Indie Focus

Pocketpair, the developer behind the wildly successful Palworld, has amassed significant profits, potentially enough to create a game exceeding AAA standards. However, CEO Takuro Mizobe has revealed a different path for the studio. Let's delve into his reasoning.

Pocketpair Prioritizes Indie Development and Community Support

Palworld's phenomenal success has generated tens of billions of yen in revenue (tens of millions of USD). Despite this windfall, Mizobe stated that Pocketpair lacks the structure and experience to handle a project of that magnitude.

Mizobe explained that Palworld's development was funded by the profits from previous titles, Craftopia and Overdungeon. While the current financial success could fuel a massive, "beyond AAA" project, Mizobe believes the company isn't ready for that level of undertaking.

“Scaling beyond AAA isn't feasible given our current organizational maturity,” Mizobe explained. He prefers to focus on projects that remain within the scope of indie game development, emphasizing the appeal of smaller-scale projects.

Mizobe highlighted the challenges of AAA development in the current market, contrasting them with the thriving indie scene and its improved development tools and global reach. He credits the indie community for Pocketpair's growth and expressed a desire to give back to that community.

Expanding Palworld Beyond the Game

Mizobe previously stated that Pocketpair won't be expanding its team or upgrading offices. Instead, the focus is on expanding the Palworld IP through other media.

Palworld, currently in early access, has already received significant praise for its gameplay and regular updates, including a PvP arena and a new island in the recent Sakurajima update. Furthermore, Pocketpair has established Palworld Entertainment in partnership with Sony to manage global licensing and merchandising.