Palworld Developers Reject 'Pokemon With Guns' Label

When you think of Palworld, the immediate association for many is "Pokemon with guns," a phrase that captured the public's imagination when the game first surged in popularity. This catchy, albeit reductive, label was widely used across the internet, including by us at IGN, contributing significantly to Palworld's initial viral success. However, according to Pocketpair's communications director and publishing manager, John 'Bucky' Buckley, this was never the intended takeaway. In fact, Buckley expressed at the Game Developers Conference that Pocketpair doesn't particularly love the moniker.

Buckley shared that Palworld was first revealed to the world in June 2021 at the Indie Live Expo in Japan, where it received a warm reception. However, as soon as Western media caught wind of the game, it was quickly branded as "Pokemon with guns." Despite efforts to move away from this label, it has stuck with the game.

In a follow-up interview, Buckley elaborated that Pokemon was never part of the original pitch for Palworld. The development team, while fans of Pokemon, drew more inspiration from ARK: Survival Evolved. Their previous game, Craftopia, also incorporated elements from ARK, and the goal was to expand on that concept. The pitch for Palworld was to create something akin to ARK, but with a stronger emphasis on automation and unique, personality-filled creatures.

While Buckley acknowledges that the "Pokemon with guns" label did help Palworld gain traction, he feels it misrepresents the game. He mentioned that even today, in 2025, people are welcome to use the phrase, but he hopes players will give the game a fair chance before forming their opinions. Buckley also doesn't see Pokemon as a direct competitor, pointing out that the audiences for Palworld and Pokemon don't significantly overlap. Instead, he sees ARK as a closer parallel, although he believes the notion of competition in gaming is often overstated.

If Buckley could choose a different viral tagline for Palworld, he suggested something like, "Palworld: It's Kind of Like ARK if ARK Met Factorio and Happy Tree Friends." While he admits this doesn't roll off the tongue as easily as "Pokemon with guns," it better reflects the game's true nature.

In our full interview, Buckley also discussed the potential for Palworld on the Nintendo Switch 2, the possibility of Pocketpair being acquired, and more. You can read the complete discussion here.