Palworld Developers Dislike 'Pokemon With Guns' Label

When you think of Palworld, the phrase "Pokemon with guns" likely springs to mind. This shorthand became the game's viral tagline when it first gained popularity, largely due to its unique blend of monster-collecting and weaponry. Even we at IGN used this phrase, as did many others, making it an easy way to describe the game to newcomers.

However, according to Pocketpair's communications director and publishing manager, John 'Bucky' Buckley, this was never the intended takeaway. In fact, Buckley expressed during a talk at the Game Developers Conference that Pocketpair doesn't particularly love this moniker. Palworld was initially revealed to the public in June 2021 at the Indie Live Expo in Japan, where it received a warm reception. However, Western media quickly labeled it as a mix of a "certain franchise" and guns, a label that has stuck despite efforts to change it.

In a follow-up interview, Buckley clarified that Pokemon was never part of the game's initial pitch. The development team, though fans of Pokemon, drew more inspiration from ARK: Survival Evolved. "A lot of us are huge ARK people, and our previous game, Craftopia, kind of has some stuff in it that we really loved from ARK and some ideas from ARK," Buckley explained. The goal was to expand on ARK's concepts, emphasizing automation and unique creature abilities, rather than merely mimicking Pokemon.

Buckley acknowledged that the "Pokemon with guns" label did contribute to Palworld's success. Dave Oshry from New Blood Interactive even trademarked "Pokemonwithguns.com," which further fueled the game's viral spread. However, Buckley expressed a wish for players to experience the game before labeling it, as it's not remotely similar to Pokemon in gameplay.

Interestingly, Buckley doesn't see Pokemon as a direct competitor to Palworld, citing minimal audience crossover and emphasizing ARK as a closer comparison. He also dismissed the notion of direct competition in the gaming industry, suggesting that the "console wars" are more about meta-marketing than real competition. "I mean, there's so many games right now. How can you be in competition with one or two? It doesn't really make sense anymore," he stated, noting that timing of releases is more critical than direct competition.

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 admitted, however, that it doesn't quite have the same catchy ring to it as "Pokemon with guns."

Buckley and I also discussed the potential for Palworld on the Nintendo Switch 2, the possibility of Pocketpair being acquired, and more in our full interview, which you can read here.