Palworld, an open-world survival crafting game, will be available for PS5 in the upcoming Tokyo Game Show 2024. The appearance of the game on PS5 comes as exciting news to gamers who have been waiting since its January release for PC and Xbox. However, the official release date for the PS5 version is still unknown despite its presence at the gaming event.
The game’s developer, Pocketpair, had previously stated back in June that there were ongoing talks regarding bringing the game to PlayStation. Though a release for the Nintendo Switch version was eliminated, PlayStation users may not have to wait too long after its showcase at the Tokyo Game Show.
Palworld first launched in January 2024 in early access for PC and Xbox, receiving praise for combining monster-collecting features with an open-world survival game design. Although the initial demand was quite favorable, the progress of the game has been characterized by several achievements and obstacles in player reception and performance.
Palworld’s player base rebounds after a major update
Although more than two million users participated in its initial launch, Palworld suffered a massive downtrend losing more than 84% of its active players in its first month. However, in July, with the release of the Sakurajima update, players in the game surged with a 700% increase in the number of concurrent players on Steam. The update included major features like a new PvP multiplayer Arena, additional Pals, new Pal skills, and a new raid all of which boosted the player engagement.
This bounceback comes after the game’s initial struggles despite positive sales. Palworld had sold over 15 million copies across platforms as of February 2024 signifying its success commercially even though there were player retention challenges. The recent uptick in player activity after the Sakurajima update suggests that there is indeed a possibility of the game retaining its community by offering them fresh content.
Palworld developer responds to criticism, clarifies the differences between Palworld and Pokemon
Ever since its release, Palworld has been criticized for its similarity with the Nintendo’s Pokemon series, especially for its creature-collecting elements. No lawsuit has been filed against Nintendo despite the similarities. Regarding this comparison, Mizobe, Pocketpair director explained that Pokemon was certainly an inspiration, but Palworld isn’t merely an illegitimate copy of it.
The concept of the game originated from the combination of the monster collection genre with the survival craft in the open world, drawing more gameplay parallels to ARK: Survival Evolved than Pokemon.
Mizobe stated that impressions of the Pokémon franchise had remained with him since childhood, but Palworld establishes its own presence and identity through survival elements, multiplayer features, and crafting systems. This difference, he insists, emerges clear to the users once they experience the game.
As Palworld prepares to hit the PS5, fans of the franchise are hoping to learn the specific date on when the title is expected to be released after it is showcased at the Tokyo Game Show 2024.
