Palworld Devs Reject 'Pokemon With Guns' Label

When you think of Palworld, the immediate association for many is "Pokemon with guns." This shorthand became popular when the game first gained traction, likely boosting its visibility due to the unusual pairing of these concepts. Even we at IGN have used the phrase, just as many others have, because it was a convenient way to describe the game to newcomers.

However, according to John 'Bucky' Buckley, Pocketpair's communications director and publishing manager, the "Pokemon with guns" label was not what the team intended. During a talk at the Game Developers Conference, Buckley expressed that Pocketpair doesn't particularly love this moniker. He recounted the game's initial reveal in June 2021 at the Indie Live Expo in Japan, where it received a positive response. However, Western media quickly labeled it as a 'certain franchise' plus guns, a tag that has stuck despite efforts to move away from it.

In a follow-up interview, Buckley clarified that Pokemon was never part of the original pitch for Palworld. While the development team includes Pokemon fans and recognized the similarities in monster collecting, their true inspiration was ARK: Survival Evolved. Buckley explained that many team members were avid ARK players and that their previous game, Craftopia, incorporated elements they admired from ARK. The goal was to create a game like ARK but with a stronger emphasis on automation and unique creature abilities.

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,' which fueled the game's visibility. However, Buckley emphasized that the label misrepresents the gameplay experience, and he hopes players will give the game a fair chance before forming opinions.

Buckley also believes that Pokemon and Palworld do not directly compete for the same audience, citing ARK as a closer comparison. He doesn't see Palworld competing with other games like Helldivers 2, despite a significant overlap in player bases. Instead, he views competition in the gaming industry as more about release timing than direct rivalry between titles.

If Buckley could choose a different viral tagline, he suggested, "Palworld: It's Kind of Like ARK if ARK Met Factorio and Happy Tree Friends." He admits, though, that it doesn't have the same catchy appeal 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 discussion here.