Palworld Devs Reject 'Pokemon With Guns' Label

When thinking of Palworld, the immediate association for many is "Pokemon with guns." This shorthand, used widely across the internet, including by us at IGN, played a significant role in the game's rise to fame. The unique blend of two seemingly disparate concepts captured the public's attention, fueling Palworld's popularity when it first emerged. However, according to Pocketpair's communications director and publishing manager, John 'Bucky' Buckley, this was never the intended focus of the game.

During a talk at the Game Developers Conference, Buckley explained that the "Pokemon with guns" label was not something Pocketpair embraced. The game was initially revealed in June 2021 at the Indie Live Expo in Japan, where it received a positive response from the local audience. However, as Western media picked up on the game, it quickly earned the "Pokemon with guns" moniker, which has persisted despite efforts to move away from it.

In an interview following his talk, Buckley clarified that Pokemon was not part of the original pitch for Palworld. Although the development team includes Pokemon fans who recognized the similarities in monster collecting, their inspiration was more aligned with ARK: Survival Evolved. Buckley highlighted their previous game, Craftopia, which drew elements from ARK, and expressed their desire to expand on these concepts in Palworld. The aim was to create a game with a stronger focus on automation and creatures with unique personalities and abilities, akin to ARK but with a distinct twist.

Buckley acknowledged that the "Pokemon with guns" label did contribute to Palworld's success. He mentioned an instance where Dave Oshry from New Blood Interactive trademarked "Pokemonwithguns.com," further fueling the game's viral spread. However, he emphasized that the label can be misleading, as the actual gameplay of Palworld differs significantly from what the phrase suggests. He encouraged players to experience the game firsthand before forming an opinion based on the tagline.

Interestingly, Buckley does not see Pokemon as a direct competitor to Palworld, believing the audiences for the two games do not significantly overlap. He drew a closer comparison to ARK and noted that even games like Helldivers 2, which many Palworld players also purchased, do not represent direct competition. Buckley critiqued the concept of "console wars" and competition in gaming, suggesting that the real challenge is more about timing than direct rivalry between games.

If given the chance, Buckley would have preferred a different tagline for Palworld, something like "Palworld: It's Kind of Like ARK if ARK Met Factorio and Happy Tree Friends." He admitted, however, that this alternative doesn't quite have the same catchy appeal as "Pokemon with guns."

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 other topics. You can find the full discussion linked here.