Palworld Is Just Getting Started

"Palworld" exploded onto the in January, shocking players with its robust survivalist take on a "Pokémon"-style world. Though skeptics have derided the game as being little more than "Pokémon with guns," it seems this particular Poké-clone has some serious legs. Not only has it already sold several million copies and smashed concurrent player records on Steam (giving even "PUBG" a serious run for its money), but the developer is already giving fans a heads up about the major updates they can expect in the months and years to come.

In a chat with Automaton, Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe dug deep into the game's development history and the studio's plans for the future. The exec made it clear that this these plans are still very much in flux, but when asked where the early access game stands in its development timeline, Mizobe responded, "I think all the basic functions are set, so perhaps about 60% complete? The next phase is all about further perfecting the game." Mizobe explained to Automaton that Pocketpair has learned from its experiences with previous games, and the company hopes to use these lessons in creating a more consistent experience for gamers going forward. Basically, "Palworld" is just getting started. Here's what the developer has in mind for the future of this deceptively cute open-world survival phenomenon.

"When we released 'Craftopia' in Early Access, we really didn't know anything, including what kind of game it was even supposed to be," Mizobe said, referencing the company's previous multiplayer survival title. "But with 'Palworld,' we know what kind of game we're making ... a survival craft game." With that foundation in place, Pocketpair is less concerned with figuring out what the game is supposed to be and more focused on building onto the strong base that's already there. One of the ways in which the developers will do this is by adding new PVP modes. 

PVP has always been in the cards for "Palworld," as reiterated by Takuro Mizobe, who told Automaton, "I think that a multiplayer mode is almost mandatory for a survival craft game." It seems a large majority of the "Palworld" fanbase agrees with this thought, as discussion threads have popped up all over Steam and social media to ask when such a mode might become available. PVP modes were notably promised in the original FAQ published for the game's early access launch, so the official "Palworld" roadmap — which the developer has shared on social media — should have players very excited for the future. 

[The Future of Palworld]
We would like to share with you our roadmap for Palworld.
Sales have far exceeded the development team's expectations, and we are currently experiencing many problems due to excessive access congestion, among other challenges.
We will prioritize... pic.twitter.com/UKD2HFRaG4

— Palworld (@Palworld_EN) January 24, 2024

In fact, there are two different PVP modes in the works for "Palworld." One is simply referred to as "PVP," which some fans presume will allow players to raid another player's base, similar to "ARK." Others think it could drop players into a new map specifically designed for battling. The other PVP mode teased by Pocketpair is an arena strictly for Pals to test their might, and Pocketpair is exploring a few different options for this one. Mizoke revealed to Automaton that this mode could be a player-controlled fight (similar to "Pokémon" battles), but the team is also considering making this into more of an auto-battler mode where the Pals are let loose against each other.

While most fans will be satisfied with simply the promised addition of PVP, Pocketpair is developing many more updates for "Palworld." Raid bosses are also planned for the game. These encounters would presumably allow players to team up against monstrously powerful Pals, similar to the Tera Raid battles in "Pokémon Scarlet" and "Violet" or the Max Raid fights in "Pokémon Sword" and "Shield." Considering how intimidating the bosses are in the current version of "Palworld," players might want to go ahead and start toughening up their favorite Pals in anticipation of this update. Thankfully, one of the other major quality-of-life updates envisioned for "Palworld" is the addition of cross-play between Xbox and PC, so players aren't restricted to one platform for their raid boss team-ups.

It should be noted that there are currently no release windows attached to any of these proposed updates, which presumably means that Pocketpair's team can take its time with development and not feel the need to crunch. It also allows the developer to implement feedback from the playerbase as these updates are designed. 

"Palworld" is already in a pretty great spot for an early access game, with recent updates fixing some of the game's smaller bugs and making it harder for cheaters to disrupt the player ecosystem on Xbox platforms. Fans should be happy to know that it is only going to get better with time.