Palworld's Unexpected Path: From Massive Success to Indie Focus
Pocketpair, the developer behind the wildly successful Palworld, has amassed significant profits. These earnings could easily fund a "beyond AAA" title, yet CEO Takuro Mizobe has opted for a different trajectory. This article explores his reasoning.
Palworld's Financial Triumph and Pocketpair's Indie Spirit
Palworld's phenomenal success has generated tens of billions of yen in revenue for Pocketpair—a figure translating to tens of millions of USD. Despite this windfall, Mizobe has reiterated his disinterest in pursuing a large-scale, AAA-style game.
In a recent interview with GameSpark, Mizobe explained that while Palworld's profits could easily fund a project exceeding AAA standards, Pocketpair lacks the internal structure to manage such an undertaking. Palworld itself was developed using profits from previous titles, Craftopia and Overdungeon. However, Mizobe believes scaling up prematurely would be detrimental to the company's growth.
"The scale of our next game, if funded by these profits, would surpass AAA standards," Mizobe stated, "but our organizational maturity isn't suited for that." He prefers to focus on projects with "indie game appeal," aiming for sustainable growth within a smaller team structure. Mizobe also highlighted the challenges of AAA development in the current market, contrasting them with the flourishing indie scene and its improved development tools. He credits the indie community for Pocketpair's success and intends to give back.
Expanding the Palworld Universe
Mizobe previously stated that Pocketpair won't be expanding its team or upgrading offices. Instead, the focus is on expanding the Palworld IP into diverse mediums.
Palworld, currently in early access, continues to receive positive feedback and significant updates, including a PvP arena and the Sakurajima island update. Furthermore, Pocketpair has established Palworld Entertainment in partnership with Sony to manage global licensing and merchandising.
