Palworld's incredible financial success has sparked conversations about whether Pocketpair's next game could transcend to "beyond AAA" status. However, CEO Takuro Mizobe has made it clear that the studio is charting a different course. Dive in to understand the reasoning behind his stance.
Palworld Profits Could Make Pocketpair Go 'Beyond AAA' If They Wanted
Pocketpair Interested in Indie Games and Giving Back to Community
The creature-catching survival game, Palworld, has skyrocketed in popularity, amassing profits in the tens of billions of yen for Pocketpair. This staggering success, translating to around 68.57 million USD, positions the studio to potentially create a game that exceeds "AAA" standards. Yet, CEO Takuro Mizobe remains steadfast in his vision, showing little interest in pursuing such high-budget projects.
In a recent interview with GameSpark, Mizobe revealed that Palworld was funded through the earnings from Pocketpair's earlier games, Craftopia and Overdungeon. With a significantly larger budget now at their disposal, one might expect a grand leap into the AAA realm. However, Mizobe sees this as premature for Pocketpair, considering the studio's current organizational structure and maturity level.
Mizobe articulated, "If we were to develop our next game based on these proceeds, as we have done in the past, not only would the scale go beyond AAA, but we wouldn’t be able to keep up with this in terms of our organization’s maturity, or better put, we aren’t structured for something like that at all." He further emphasized his preference for projects that maintain an "indie" essence, finding them more intriguing and aligned with Pocketpair's values.
The studio's strategy is to push boundaries within the indie sector, leveraging the boom in indie gaming fueled by advanced game engines and favorable industry conditions. These conditions allow smaller teams to achieve global success without the need for large-scale operations. Mizobe credits much of Pocketpair's growth to the vibrant indie game community and expresses a desire to contribute back to this ecosystem.
Palworld to Expand to 'Different Mediums'
Earlier this year, Mizobe reiterated that despite the influx of funds, Pocketpair is not looking to expand its team or upgrade its facilities. Instead, their focus is on expanding the Palworld IP into various other mediums.
Palworld, still in its early access phase, has already garnered praise for its engaging gameplay and consistent updates, such as the much-awaited PvP arena mode and the new Sakurajima island in the major update. Additionally, Pocketpair has established Palworld Entertainment in partnership with Sony to manage global licensing and merchandising efforts related to Palworld beyond the game itself.
