Palworld's Unexpected Path: From Massive Success to Indie Focus
Pocketpair, the developer behind the wildly successful Palworld, has amassed significant profits, potentially enough to create a game exceeding AAA standards. However, CEO Takuro Mizobe has confirmed the studio's intention to remain focused on the indie game scene, rather than pursuing a massive AAA-scale project.
Mizobe revealed in a GameSpark interview that Palworld's sales are in the tens of billions of yen (tens of millions of USD). Despite this windfall, he believes Pocketpair lacks the organizational structure to manage a project of that magnitude. He emphasized that Palworld's development was funded by profits from previous titles, Craftopia and Overdungeon, and that scaling up prematurely would be detrimental.
“If we developed our next game with these proceeds, the scale would surpass AAA, but our organization isn't structured for that,” Mizobe explained. He prefers to focus on projects that are “interesting as indie games,” leveraging the current boom in the indie game market and its improved development tools. He credits the indie community for Pocketpair’s growth and wants to give back.
Instead of expanding the team or upgrading facilities, Pocketpair plans to expand the Palworld IP into different mediums. The early access game has already received positive feedback for its gameplay and consistent updates, including a recent PvP arena and the Sakurajima island expansion. A partnership with Sony through Palworld Entertainment will manage global licensing and merchandising.
Pocketpair's decision highlights a deliberate strategy to maintain its indie identity and contribute to the thriving indie game community, even with the financial resources to pursue a different, potentially larger, path.
