Palworld Success Fuels Indie Ambition: PocketPair CEO Eyes Sustainable Growth, Not AAA Expansion
After the phenomenal success of Palworld, achieving over 25 million sales in just a month following its Early Access release, developer PocketPair finds itself at a crossroads. While the monster-collecting title's global popularity has paved the way for a joint venture with Aniplex and Sony Music Entertainment Japan, leading to multimedia expansion, the company's CEO, Takuro Mizobe, has revealed a surprising stance on future development plans.
Speaking with Game*Spark, Mizobe shared his vision for PocketPair's growth, highlighting a commitment to maintaining an "indie scale" despite the financial windfall from Palworld. This decision is driven by a keen observation of the evolving gaming landscape. "Looking at global trends for AAA games, it's become increasingly difficult to develop a title with a large team and ensure its success," Mizobe explained.
He attributes this shift to the burgeoning indie scene, where advancements in game engines and industry conditions have empowered developers to create "games that are good and can take off globally" without the need for massive resources. Mizobe believes this approach offers a more sustainable path to success, contrasting it with the challenges faced by many AAA projects.
This philosophy is deeply rooted in PocketPair's history. Craftopia, the predecessor to Palworld, was funded through the profits generated from their earlier title, Overdungeon. This snowball effect facilitated the development of Palworld, which has now catapulted PocketPair to new heights. However, despite the company's ability to finance a larger-scale project, Mizobe remains committed to their indie roots.
"While we don't talk about it publicly, Palworld's sales are in the tens of billions of yen. If we were to develop our next game based on these proceeds, as we have done in the past, not only would the scale go beyond AAA, but we wouldn't be able to keep up with this in terms of our organisation's maturity. We simply aren't structured for something like that."
Beyond the logistical challenges of transitioning to a larger development structure, Mizobe also expresses a lack of personal interest in pursuing AAA projects. "If you ask me if there's any game I would like to make with such an enormous budget, there isn't. I want to pursue ideas that are interesting as indie games," he stated.
The CEO's vision is further influenced by PocketPair's origins as a small, independent developer. He acknowledges the crucial role played by the indie game community in their growth, and expresses a desire to give back to the scene that nurtured their success.
As PocketPair embarks on a new chapter, it seems clear that the company intends to stay true to its indie roots. This decision, informed by the changing landscape of the gaming industry and the CEO's personal preferences, signals a departure from the traditional trajectory of success. While the financial windfall from Palworld offers a gateway to uncharted territory, PocketPair is choosing to focus on sustainable growth and explore exciting new ideas within the indie space.
