Palworld's Unexpected Path: Indie Spirit Over AAA Ambition

Pocketpair, the developer behind the wildly successful Palworld, has amassed considerable profits. These earnings could easily fund a "beyond AAA" title, but CEO Takuro Mizobe has a different vision. This article explores his reasoning.

Pocketpair: Prioritizing Indie Development and Community

Palworld's phenomenal success has generated tens of billions of yen in revenue (tens of millions of USD). Despite this windfall, Mizobe has stated that Pocketpair isn't equipped to handle a project of that magnitude. He emphasizes that Palworld's development was funded by previous projects, and scaling up drastically now would be premature.

Mizobe explained to GameSpark that their current structure isn't suited for a massive AAA-scale game. Instead, he prefers to focus on projects with a smaller scope, remaining true to their indie roots. He believes the current indie game environment, with advanced engines and favorable market conditions, allows for global success without the need for a huge team. He also credits the indie community for Pocketpair's growth and wants to give back.

“We wouldn’t be able to keep up with this in terms of our organization’s maturity…we aren’t structured for something like that at all," Mizobe stated, highlighting the challenges of managing a project of such scale. He prefers to focus on projects that are "interesting as indie games."

Expanding the Palworld Universe

Mizobe previously indicated that Pocketpair won't be expanding its team or upgrading its offices. Instead, their focus is on expanding the Palworld IP into other media. Palworld, currently in early access, continues to receive positive feedback and significant updates, including a PvP arena and a new island in the recent Sakurajima update. A partnership with Sony's Palworld Entertainment further underscores their commitment to expanding the franchise beyond the game itself.