Palworld: A Controversial Video Game that Fuses Pokémon with a Twist
The world of gaming has been captivated by Palworld, a video game that has garnered millions of players while simultaneously stirring up controversy among Pokémon fans. Described as “Pokémon with guns” by enthusiasts, Palworld has skyrocketed in popularity, but not without ruffling some feathers.
Developed by Japanese company Pocketpair Inc., Palworld sold 5 million copies within just three days, as announced by the company on the X platform. On Steam, the go-to platform for purchasing video games, 1.6 million people were playing Palworld simultaneously, putting the game on top of the current rankings and making it the third highest-performing game in the platform’s history. Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox division also distributes the game on its consoles and as part of the Game Pass subscription.
In Palworld, players collaborate to capture creatures, build bases, and survive in a cartoonish fantasy world. Unlike Pokémon, which target a younger audience, Palworld allows players to shoot their friends to capture and train them. The game is still in early access, and a full version has not yet been planned.
Players have been discussing the similarities between the two games on blogs and social media. Some Pokémon fans are clearly outraged. Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe wrote on the X platform that the company’s artists have received “defamatory comments” and “tweets that seem like death threats.”
Palworld was the “right game at the right time,” according to Serkan Toto, CEO of Japanese consulting firm Kantan Games. Adding a prominent multiplayer element to a monster-collecting game is a winning format, especially when combined with two other popular genres: shooters and survival games. In fact, many players claim that Palworld more closely resembles the hit game ARK: Survival Evolved.
While the Pokémon brand is currently more popular than ever, the latest Pokémon games from Nintendo have received mixed reviews. The gaming review website IGN rated Pokémon Scarlet, released in 2022, a 6 out of 10, and Pokémon Legends: Arceus a 7 out of 10, with the reviewer describing both titles as unfinished.
Toto suggests that Palworld’s resemblance to Pokémon is the main reason for its success.
“Of course, the game is well-made and mechanics matter, but no one would be talking about this game as they are now if the characters didn’t resemble Pokémon,” Toto said. “If you were to change the characters, the game would be completely different and wouldn’t have achieved such success.”
Neither Nintendo nor Pocketpair have responded to requests for comment.
Brandon Huffman, founder of the law firm Odin Law & Media, believes that Pocketpair doesn’t have anything to worry about. According to him, there used to be some reputational risk for game companies that drew inspiration from previous hits, but currently, especially in the case of survival and battle royale games, there is a strong precedent for inheriting ideas from fellow developers.
Huffman’s colleague and attorney, Connor Richards, who spent 10 hours playing Palworld over the weekend, said that “most of the Creatures in Palworld don’t look too much like Pokémon.” Some of them resemble various animals, and the more complex creatures are not exact copies.
“None of them give the impression of being Pokémon,” Richards said.
Despite the controversy on social media, Palworld continues to receive enthusiastic reviews on Steam, where the average rating from over 45,000 reviews is “very positive.” To stay up-to-date on how artificial intelligence shapes the future of business, sign up for the free Eye on AI newsletter.
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The source of the article is from the blog mendozaextremo.com.ar