When you think of Palworld, the phrase "Pokemon with guns" likely comes to mind first. This shorthand, popularized across the internet, played a significant role in the game's initial surge in popularity, merging the unexpected concepts of a beloved franchise with weaponry. Even we at IGN and others have used this phrase to quickly convey the game's essence to newcomers.
However, according to John 'Bucky' Buckley, Pocketpair's communications director and publishing manager, this was never the intended takeaway. During a talk at the Game Developers Conference, Buckley expressed that Pocketpair doesn't particularly love the moniker. The game was first revealed in June 2021 at the Indie Live Expo in Japan, receiving a warm reception from the local audience. But as Western media caught wind of it, Palworld was quickly labeled as a 'certain franchise' plus guns—a label that has stuck despite efforts to shake it off.
In a follow-up interview, Buckley clarified that Pokemon was not part of the original pitch. While the development team includes fans of the franchise and acknowledges the monster-collecting similarities, their true inspiration was more aligned with ARK: Survival Evolved. Buckley mentioned their previous game, Craftopia, which borrowed elements from ARK. The aim with Palworld was to expand on this concept, emphasizing automation and giving each creature unique personality and abilities.
Despite the team's reservations, Buckley admits that the "Pokemon with guns" label did boost Palworld's success. He noted that Dave Oshry from New Blood Interactive even trademarked 'Pokemonwithguns.com', further fueling the game's viral spread. While Buckley is okay with the phrase being used, he hopes players give the game a fair chance before forming opinions, as it differs significantly from the Pokemon experience in gameplay.
Buckley also believes that Palworld and Pokemon don't compete for the same audience, drawing a closer comparison to ARK. He dismisses the notion of direct competition in the gaming industry, suggesting that it's more about timing than anything else. Even with games like Helldivers 2, which share a significant player overlap with Palworld, Buckley doesn't see it as a competitive threat.
If Buckley could choose a different tagline for Palworld, he'd opt for something like, "Palworld: It's Kind of Like ARK if ARK Met Factorio and Happy Tree Friends." He acknowledges, however, that this doesn't have the same catchy appeal as "Pokemon with guns."
In our extended interview, Buckley and I also discussed the potential for Palworld on the Nintendo Switch 2, the possibility of Pocketpair being acquired, and more. You can read the full conversation right here.
