GamesSurvival & CraftingPalworldThe follow-up to Palworld could go ‘beyond AAA’, but Pocketpair’s CEO only wants to pursue projects that ‘are interesting as indie games’When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesSurvival & CraftingPalworldThe follow-up to Palworld could go ‘beyond AAA’, but Pocketpair’s CEO only wants to pursue projects that ‘are interesting as indie games’When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Pocketpair)

Palworld’s explosive success earlier this year made developer Pocketpair heaps of money, but its CEO would rather make an indie-sized game over something that could “go beyond AAA.”
Mizobe says “there aren’t any” games he wants to make that would require a huge budget.
Mizobe says “there aren’t any” games he wants to make that would require a huge budget.
Mizobe says “there aren’t any” games he wants to make that would require a huge budget. “I want to pursue something that I think is interesting as an indie game.”
Last month, Palworld community manager John “Bucky” Buckley urged people to spend “as much money on indies as you can,” in aninterviewwith YouTube channel Going Indie. Buckley, as well as Mizobe it seems, want the indie sector to thrive as much as the AAA live service games that release every year. Palworld has received several updates since its release in early access, but Pocketpair hasn’t pledged to keep it going indefinitely after it’s finished. Eventually, it’s going to move onto the next thing.
Although it’s unlikely we’re going to see the back of Palword for some time. Pocketpair recently formed Palworld Entertainment in collaboration with Sony to take care of “global licensing and merchandising activities associated with Palworld outside of the interactive game,” according to theofficial announcement.So, whatever Pocketpair’s next game ends up being, Palworld’s success will continue to benefit the studio.
Still, Mizobe’s interest in making more indie games instead of one massive follow-up to Palworld isn’t something we see very often. Most studios go bigger and bigger until it doesn’t work anymore. Part of Palworld’s appeal was that it wasn’t trying to be the next game to spend your life in; it just happened to be so good that people wanted to do that anyway. And it didn’t take a big-budget, hyper-polished experience to win millions of people over. If Palworld was that kind of game, the risk of failure could’ve been devastating, so I’m not surprised Pocketpair doesn’t want to dramatically change its strategy.
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