When you think of Palworld, the phrase "Pokemon with guns" likely springs to mind. This shorthand, which spread rapidly across the internet, played a significant role in the game's initial surge in popularity. It's a catchy, if not entirely accurate, description that even we at IGN and others have used to quickly convey the game's concept. However, according to John 'Bucky' Buckley, Pocketpair's communications director and publishing manager, this wasn't the intended takeaway. In fact, Pocketpair doesn't particularly love the moniker. Buckley shared these sentiments during a talk at the Game Developers Conference last month, reflecting on Palworld's rise to fame since its reveal in 2021.
"We revealed the game to the world in June of 2021, quite a few years ago. We posted a trailer at the Indie Live Expo, an indie gaming event in Japan, and received a fantastic reception from the Japanese audience. But soon after, Western media got their eyes on it, and we were quickly branded as a 'certain franchise' plus guns. This label has stuck with us to this day, despite our efforts to move past it," Buckley explained.
In a subsequent interview, Buckley elaborated on the game's true inspirations. He emphasized that Pokemon was never part of the original pitch. Instead, the team, composed largely of ARK: Survival Evolved fans, aimed to create a game more akin to ARK. "A lot of us are huge ARK people, and our previous game, Craftopia, incorporated elements we loved from ARK. We wanted to expand on that concept, making it bigger and giving each creature more personality, abilities, and uniqueness. The pitch was to create something like ARK, but with a stronger focus on automation and each creature being uniquely special. When we released the first trailer, the 'Pokemon with guns' label emerged, and while it wasn't our preference, it is what it is," he said.
Buckley acknowledges that the "Pokemon with guns" label did contribute to Palworld's success. "Yeah, it was definitely a big thing. Dave from New Blood Interactive even trademarked 'Pokemonwithguns.com.' All of that fueled the game's popularity," he admitted. However, he expressed frustration that some people still believe the game is exactly that without trying it. "If people want to call it that after playing, that's fine. But we'd prefer everyone gives it a chance first."
Interestingly, Buckley doesn't see Pokemon as a significant competitor to Palworld. "I don't think the audiences cross over that much," he stated, again drawing parallels to ARK. He also dismissed the notion of direct competition in the gaming industry. "The competition in games is often manufactured for marketing purposes. With so many games available, how can you truly compete with just one or two? It's more about timing than anything else," he argued.
If Buckley could choose a different viral tagline for Palworld, he suggested, "Palworld: It's Kind of Like ARK if ARK Met Factorio and Happy Tree Friends." He admitted, however, that it doesn't have the same catchy ring to it as "Pokemon with guns."
In our 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 here.
