Palworld's Unexpected Path: Indie Spirit Over AAA Ambitions

Pocketpair, the developer behind the wildly successful Palworld, has amassed significant profits, potentially enough to fund a "beyond AAA" title. However, CEO Takuro Mizobe has reiterated the studio's commitment to its indie roots.

Pocketpair's Indie Focus and Community Support

Palworld's revenue is in the "tens of billions of yen" (tens of millions of USD), yet Mizobe believes scaling to a AAA project is premature. He explained that Palworld's development leveraged profits from previous titles, Craftopia and Overdungeon. This time, however, the massive success has not led to a shift towards larger-scale development.

Mizobe stated that a project fueled by Palworld's profits would exceed AAA standards, a scale beyond their current organizational capacity. He prefers to focus on projects that thrive within the indie space, leveraging improved game engines and industry conditions to achieve global success without a massive team. Pocketpair attributes its growth to the indie community and aims to give back.

"We aren't structured for something like that at all," Mizobe emphasized regarding a AAA-scale project. He highlighted the challenges of AAA development and the flourishing indie scene.

Expanding the Palworld Universe

Mizobe previously stated that Pocketpair will not expand its team or upgrade facilities, instead focusing on expanding the Palworld IP into various media. The early access title continues to receive positive feedback and substantial updates, including a PvP arena and the Sakurajima update. A collaboration with Sony has formed Palworld Entertainment, managing global licensing and merchandising.