What you need to know
- Just over a week after Palworld developer Pocketpair shadow dropped the open-world survival RPG on PlayStation 5, it’s entered an agreement with a partner to bring it to mobile platforms.
- Specifically, Pocketpair is working with Krafton, the publisher behind the highly popular battle royale shooter PUBG: Battlegrounds.
- PUBG Studios — the PUBG developer under Krafton’s wing — will handle the process of making the mobile port. Notably, this team co-developed the mobile version of PUBG that released in 2018.
- It’s unclear how Nintendo’s looming lawsuit against Pocketpair for Palworld’s similarity to Pokémon will affect the mobile version’s development, though based on how the PS5 release was delayed indefinitely in Japan, it’s likely the mobile edition’s will be too as long as the suit is active.
A little over a week after the open-world creature collector RPG Palworld shadow dropped on PlayStation 5 during a State of Play event, its developer Pocketpair has entered an agreement with a partner to bring the game to mobile platforms. Specifically, the studio is working with Krafton — the publisher behind the successful battle royale shooter PUBG: Battlegrounds that released in late 2017 and has remained popular ever since.
The news came in a Krafton press release early Wednesday morning, in which the publisher specified that it “signed a licensing agreement” for the game. It also confirmed that PUBG Studios — the team responsible for developing PUBG and working with partners to bring it to mobile in spring 2018 — will be responsible for the upcoming port of Palworld.
“Through this contract, Krafton will expand the Palworld IP to the mobile platform. It plans to faithfully reinterpret and implement the original’s main fun elements to fit the mobile environment,” reads Krafton’s official statement. “The project will be handled by the development team of ‘PUBG STUDIOS,’ a creative studio under Krafton.”
Notably, this partnership comes exactly two weeks after Nintendo announced plans to sue Pocketpair for patent infringement “to protect the intellectual properties it has worked hard to establish over the years,” as many of Palworld’s “Pals” bear striking resemblances to Pokémon creatures. Pocketpair responded a day later, noting that it “will do our utmost for our fans, and to ensure that indie game developers are not hindered or discouraged from pursuing their creative ideas” in its official statement.
It also comes roughly two months after Krafton acquired Tango Gameworks and its fan-favorite rhythm-action IP Hi-Fi Rush to save it from closure in August. In May, Microsoft announced it was shuttering Tango Gameworks along with Bethesda’s Arkane Austin and Alpha Dog Games, citing a “reprioritization of titles and resources.”
“Krafton Inc today welcomed the talented people of Tango Gameworks to their team … This strategic move will include the rights to Tango Gameworks’ acclaimed IP, Hi-Fi RUSH,” wrote the publisher in a statement at the time. “As part of this strategic agreement, KRAFTON intends to collaborate with Xbox and ZeniMax … allowing the talented team to continue developing the Hi-Fi RUSH IP and explore future projects. KRAFTON intends to support the Tango Gameworks team to continue its commitment to innovation and delivering fresh and exciting experiences for fans.”
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Given that a tentative launch window for the mobile version of Palworld hasn’t been announced yet and that nothing is known about when or how Nintendo intends to proceed with its lawsuit, it’s unclear if or how the looming legal battle between Pocketpair and the Pokémon maker will affect its development and release. One thing that’s likely to happen, though, is an indefinite delay to its release in Japan as long as the suit is active, as Palworld’s PS5 launch was seemingly held back in the country for this reason.
Palworld itself stands as one of 2024’s biggest games and is regarded as one of the best Xbox games and best PC games to play if you like the sound of blending Pokémon creature collection with open-world survival that’s complete with crafting, boss fights, and plenty of guns. It enjoyed an incredibly explosive launch in January, with the title breaking past 2 million concurrent players on Steam and also becoming the biggest third-party Xbox Game Pass launch ever, with over 7 million total players checking it out that month across Xbox consoles and the Microsoft Store on Windows PC.
Since its release, Palworld has been routinely improved and built upon by Pocketpair, with patches adding its first raid boss Bellanoir, an expansion-sized update with a new island and new Pals, and lots of other tweaks, changes, and additions. The game is available for $29.99 on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC (on both Steam and the Microsoft Store), and PS5, though you also have the option of playing it on Xbox or the Microsoft Store through Xbox Game Pass.
