‘Palworld,’ Also Known As Pokémon With Firearms, Dominating The Steam And Twitch Charts

Surprising isn’t it, the instant success of Palworld, even during its Early Access phase. Do I even need to mention anything more than “Pokémon with guns” to explain why?

While the concept is more intricate, this is essentially the essence of what developer Pocketpair has brought to the table for its Early Access launch on Steam, and its forthcoming release on Xbox Game Pass.

It’s achieving remarkable numbers, making it not only enjoyable to play but also providing a fantastic streaming experience due to its relative absurdity. Currently, Palworld stands as the fourth most played game on Steam with 370,000 concurrent players, trailing only perennial favorites CS2, Dota 2, and PUBG. This places it ahead of Apex Legends, GTA 5, and Baldur’s Gate 3. It also leads in revenue as the top-seller.

Similarly, on Twitch, it is currently the most-watched game on the platform with 312,000 live viewers, outperforming GTA 5, CS2, League of Legends, and Fortnite. One likely reason for its high player count is its price, just $26 on Steam, barely a third of the price of most AAA releases. Furthermore, the game is genuinely enjoyable. The mere concept of “Pokémon with Guns” could have been an effortless money grab, but they have made sure that this is a highly enjoyable experience, with the 2,400 user reviews on Steam so far being “Very Positive.” Xbox recognized its potential early on, leading to its inclusion in Game Pass.

Check out the latest blog from Pocketpair commemorating the game’s release:

“Palworld began with a small team of four individuals. With Craftopia, we recognized the potential that survival crafting games offered, and as we continued development, we discovered new possibilities.

“How enjoyable would it be to embark on an adventure, live, and construct a base with Pals, who possess their own quirks and personalities? Keeping this in mind, we painstakingly worked on developing this game for the past three years.

“Developers who resonated with Palworld gathered one after another, and the scope of the game expanded far beyond what we had ever imagined. Palworld begins from here.”

Aside from its comical combat, Palworld features several elements that differentiate it from, if not surpass, Pokemon. It incorporates base-building aspects that can be expanded into large, automated productions. At its core, the game has been developed in Unreal Engine 5. While Pokémon games continue to be popular on Nintendo Switch, the technology remains antiquated, and with each new release, players criticize the minimal effort put into maximizing its graphical potential even on the Switch. Now, Palworld is visually leaps ahead of it (although it will certainly not be as enduringly popular).

This has shifted from being off my radar to evidently a must-play. We’ll see how long its meteoric rise can endure, but it appears to be a lot of fun.

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Get hold of my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.