Palworld Dev's Next Title Aims to be as “Interesting as an Indie Game”
Palworld brings "tens of billions of Yen" to them, and yet Pocketpair feels "a strong desire to give back" to the indie community.
Palworld
It's often assumed that a larger budget equates to a bigger, more impressive game, and that indie games, by nature, have lower budgets. Therefore, if a developer makes a fortune, they'll expand the project, hire a larger team, and invest in high-quality animation and intricate systems. However, this may not always be the case.
Take it from Takuro Mizobe, the CEO of Pocketpair, the creators behind the hit game Palworld. In a recent interview with Gamespark (first spot by PC Gamer), Mizobe discussed the company's plans for their substantial earnings from Palworld, described as "tens of billions of yen." Surprisingly, they won't be following the traditional route of expansion. Instead, their plan is to continue creating content that is "interesting as an indie game."
Despite the company's significant earnings, Pocketpair still identifies itself as part of the "indie game community." The company's previous two titles, Overdungeon and Craftopia, were also indie games. The CEO stated:
"We have a clear sense that we've come this far thanks to our players, and there's no doubt that we've grown thanks to the indie game community as a whole, so we feel a strong desire to give back to that community.” (Translated by Google Translation)
Palworld
While Palworld is still in its early access period, Pocketpair has already released several updates and plans to keep the game running for as long as possible. In fact, they've launched a new company, Palworld Entertainment, in partnership with Sony Music and Aniplex, "to expand and develop new businesses associated with the hit game."
That's to say, Palworld will continue to bring in revenue for the company. When thinking about their next project, Mizobe acknowledges that with ongoing advancements in technology and game development engines, developers can now "make good games without seeking scale." More importantly, according to Mizobe, the company is simply "not structured to do large-scale work at all."
“If we tried to make a game based on that sales as we have done in the past, it would end up being a large-scale work that is far more than a AAA title, and the current situation is that we are not mature enough as an organization to keep up, or rather, we are not structured to do that at all. In addition, if you ask me if there is a game that I want to make using such a huge budget, there isn't really. After all, I want to pursue something that I think is interesting as an indie game, and although I don't mind having a lot of budget, I can't spend a budget that is beyond my means.”
Mizobe's philosophy aligns seamlessly with that of Palworld's Community Manager, Bucky, who also advocates for gamers to immerse themselves in as many indie games as possible.
The interview covers other topics as well, like the changes brought to Pocketpair and Mizobe's work shift, his philosophy on game development, and more. If you're interested in learning more, feel free to check it out here.
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