Palworld Devs Reject 'Pokemon With Guns' Label

When you think of Palworld, the phrase that often comes to mind is "Pokemon with guns." This shorthand became popular when the game first gained traction, largely due to its unique combination of familiar elements from Pokemon and the unexpected addition of firearms. Even we at IGN used this phrase, as did many others, making it an easy way for newcomers to grasp the concept of the game.

However, according to John 'Bucky' Buckley, Pocketpair's communications director and publishing manager, this was never the intended focus. During a talk at the Game Developers Conference, Buckley expressed that Pocketpair does not particularly love the moniker. He recounted the game's initial reveal at the Indie Live Expo in Japan in June 2021, where it received a warm reception. But soon after, Western media quickly branded it as "Pokemon with guns," a label that has persisted despite their efforts to move away from it.

In a follow-up interview, Buckley clarified that Pokemon was never part of the original pitch. The development team, composed largely of fans of the genre, recognized similarities with monster-collecting games. Yet, their true inspiration was more aligned with ARK: Survival Evolved. Buckley explained, "A lot of us are huge ARK people, and our previous game, Craftopia, kind of has some stuff in it that we really loved from ARK and some ideas from ARK. So we wanted to just take that and make it bigger." The focus was on enhancing the personality, abilities, and uniqueness of each creature, much like in ARK, but with added emphasis on automation and distinct creature roles.

Buckley acknowledged that the "Pokemon with guns" label did contribute to Palworld's success. He mentioned that Dave Oshry from New Blood Interactive even trademarked "Pokemonwithguns.com," further fueling the game's viral spread. While he admits the phrase helped, Buckley hopes players will give the game a chance beyond this initial impression. He emphasized that the game's actual gameplay differs significantly from the simplified description.

Interestingly, Buckley doesn't view Pokemon as a direct competitor to Palworld, citing minimal audience crossover and pointing to ARK as a more accurate comparison. He also downplayed the notion of competition within the gaming industry, suggesting it's often manufactured for marketing purposes. "Almost like a meta-marketing kind of strategy," he said, noting that the real competition is more about timing of releases than direct competition between games.

If Buckley could choose a different viral tagline, he proposed something like, "Palworld: It's Kind of Like ARK if ARK Met Factorio and Happy Tree Friends." He admits, however, that it doesn't quite have the same catchy appeal as "Pokemon with guns."

In our broader discussion, Buckley and I also touched on the potential for Palworld to come to the Nintendo Switch 2, the possibility of Pocketpair being acquired, and more. You can delve into the full interview right here.