Palworld and its Sensational Success Face Challenges Amid Accusations and Rapid Growth
Palworld, the captivating monster-taming game developed by Pocketpair, has achieved a staggering milestone, surpassing 19 million players within a mere two weeks since its launch. The developer announced this impressive feat via its official X/Twitter account, providing a breakdown of the numbers and expressing a commitment to addressing any bugs encountered by the vast player base.
The statistics reveal a substantial player base, with 12 million enthusiasts on Steam, where Palworld is priced at $29.99, and an additional 7 million players on Xbox, benefiting from the game’s availability on Xbox Game Pass. Microsoft, acknowledging this accomplishment, declared Palworld as the largest third-party Game Pass launch in history, further highlighting its position as the most-played third-party day-one release through Xbox Cloud Gaming on Game Pass Ultimate. Notably, Palworld’s daily active users on Xbox reached a peak of nearly 3 million players.
Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe expressed gratitude for the overwhelming response from fans worldwide, emphasizing that the journey is only beginning. As Palworld remains in the Game Preview phase, Mizobe acknowledges the valuable feedback received, which will contribute to ongoing improvements for Pal Tamers across all platforms.
The Xbox Wire statement indicates ongoing collaboration between Pocketpair and Xbox to enhance the gaming experience. Addressing the need for cross-play, developers are diligently working towards an eventual 1.0 release. Xbox is actively supporting Pocketpair by facilitating dedicated servers, providing engineering resources for GPU and memory optimization, expediting updates for players, and optimizing the title for the platform.
However, Palworld’s triumphant ascent has not been devoid of challenges. Accusations of plagiarism have surfaced on social media, with some creatures in the game bearing an alleged resemblance to Pokémon monsters. The Pokémon Company has responded, asserting its intention to investigate and take appropriate measures to address any potential infringement on intellectual property rights.
In addition to plagiarism concerns, Pocketpair faces challenges such as the emergence of fake Palworld mobile games and an increasing number of cheating players. As Palworld hurtles toward the 20 million players milestone, the developer navigates a landscape of both acclaim and obstacles, shaping the game’s trajectory in response to player feedback and industry scrutiny.