The creature collection adventure game Palworld, known as ‘Pokémon with guns’, surges in popularity with record player counts and sales, and is set to expand with new features.
The video game Palworld, developed by Japanese studio Pocket Pair and popularly known as “Pokémon with guns,” achieved exceptional success since launching on January 18th. The game, which combines elements of survival adventure and creature collection, reached 1.85 million simultaneous players on Steam and sold over seven million copies within five days of its release.
Palworld players explore the Palpagos Islands, interacting with over 100 creatures called Pals. These creatures aid in combat, crafting, and resource gathering within a multiplayer, open-world environment. The game quickly rose to Twitch’s number one position upon release despite drawing criticism for its similarities to Pokémon and possibly utilising AI-generated art.
Pocket Pair plans to address technical issues and add new content, including crossplay between Xbox and Steam players, new islands, pals, bosses, technologies, a PvP battle arena, raid bosses, and server transfer capabilities. These updates are intended to improve the game’s building system and enhance overall gameplay.
Currently, Palworld is available in Early Access on Steam for £25 and through a preview version on Xbox. Xbox Game Pass subscribers can play for free, while PC gamers can purchase the game on Steam. Despite controversies over its design and child suitability, Palworld’s upcoming features are highly anticipated by its player base.
