Palworld popularity explodes amid controversy; Pokémon launches copyright investigation
New video game Palworld has garnered millions of sales in less than a week, but its similarities to Pokémon are drawing controversy.
Palworld is a new open-world, action-adventure survival video game that has been surging in popularity. The game features more than 100 creatures to take with you in adventures, and they have brought controversy for their similarity to Pokémon characters.
The game was released in early access mode on Jan. 19 for Steam and Xbox by developer Pocketpair and has already sold more than 8 million copies.
Palworld has garnered more than 2 million concurrent users in its first week, the second-most of any game after battle royale game PUBG: Battlegrounds. It already has made it into the top 10 most-watched games of the month on streaming service Twitch.
Peak number of concurrent players each day on Steam by game
Top games by concurrent Steam players
Is Palworld based on Pokémon?
The Pokémon Co. announced it is launching an investigation into the game to determine whether if it infringes on intellectual property. Pokémon is the highest-grossing media franchise of all time.
Though Palworld includes the element of monster-collecting that Pokémon has, Pocketpair's CEO Takuro Mizobe noted that the gameplay is more akin to action-adventure survival game Ark: Survival Evolved. "In fact, Pokémon is so good that I’m afraid to even try to compare it to Palworld," Mizobe said in an interview with Automaton.
Mizobe posted on X Monday that the team has received slanderous comments and death threats over the game.
Is Palworld for kids?
Unlike Pokémon, Palworld is a more violent game where players can wield a variety of weapons like machine guns, rocket launchers and spears. Its gameplay includes brutal options like being able to butcher pals and using pals as live shields in combat.