When you think of Palworld, the first thing that might come to mind is "Pokemon with guns." This catchy phrase, which spread like wildfire across the internet when the game first gained popularity, played a significant role in its rise to fame. Even outlets like IGN, including ourselves, have used this shorthand to describe Palworld, making it an easy way for newcomers to grasp the concept. However, according to John 'Bucky' Buckley, the communications director and publishing manager at Pocketpair, this wasn't the intended takeaway.
In a talk at the Game Developers Conference last month, Buckley explained that the "Pokemon with guns" label was never something Pocketpair particularly embraced. The game was initially revealed to the world in June 2021 at the Indie Live Expo in Japan, where it received a warm reception from the local audience. However, as soon as Western media caught wind of it, Palworld was quickly branded with this catchy yet reductive moniker, a label that has stuck despite efforts to move away from it.
In a subsequent interview, Buckley elaborated on this point, emphasizing that Pokemon was never part of the original pitch. While the development team includes fans of the franchise and acknowledges the similarities in the monster-collecting aspect, their true inspiration was more aligned with ARK: Survival Evolved. "A lot of us are huge ARK people," Buckley said, also mentioning their previous game, Craftopia, which drew from ARK's ideas. The goal was to enhance ARK's concept by focusing on automation and giving each creature unique personalities and abilities.
Buckley admits that the "Pokemon with guns" label did contribute to Palworld's success. Dave Oshry from New Blood Interactive even trademarked "Pokemonwithguns.com," which further fueled the game's viral spread. However, Buckley expressed frustration over those who assume the game is exactly what the label suggests without giving it a chance. He believes the game's actual gameplay experience is far from this simplistic description.
Moreover, Buckley doesn't see Pokemon as a direct competitor to Palworld, suggesting that the audiences for the two games don't significantly overlap. He views ARK as a closer parallel and dismisses the idea of direct competition in the gaming industry altogether. "I think the competition in games is kind of manufactured for the sake of it," he said, pointing out the abundance of games and the more significant challenge of timing releases.
If Buckley had his way, he would have preferred a different tagline to go viral, 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, it better reflects the game's true nature.
In our interview, Buckley also touched on the potential for Palworld to come to the Nintendo Switch 2, the possibility of Pocketpair being acquired, and more. You can read the full discussion for further insights into the future of Palworld.
