Palworld Dev Says Massive Profits Are ‘Too Big for a Studio With Our Size to Handle’

The boss of Palworld developer Pocketpair has said the company can’t handle the massive profits the game has generated.

Palworld launched in January and overnight became one of the biggest games in the world, setting records not only on Steam but on Xbox Game Pass, where it is the biggest third-party game launch ever. So far, the $30 ‘Pokémon with guns’ crafting and survival game has seen an incredible 25 million players, with 15 million copies sold on Steam and 10 million players on Xbox.

Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg, Pocketpair boss Takuro Mizobe confirmed Palworld cost less than ¥1 billion ($6.7 million) to make, and has made tens of billions of yen in profit. For context, ¥10 billion is around $67.2 million.

It’s an amount that is “too big for a studio with our size to handle,” said Mizobe, who later clarified he has no intention of expanding or offering shares in the company. Rather, he wants Pocketpair to remain small (it’s currently 55 people). Mizobe said he is open to a partnership or acquisition, but insisted he has not started buyout talks with Microsoft. Perhaps more pressing, Pocketpair is in talks to bring Palworld to more platforms, suggesting a potential PlayStation 5 and Nintendo console release in the future.

While Palworld is one of the biggest game launches ever, it’s also one of the most controversial. Pocketpair has said its staff has received death threats amid Pokémon “rip-off” claims, which it has denied. Soon after launch, Nintendo moved quickly to remove an eye-catching Pokémon mod, then The Pokemon Company issued a statement, saying: “We intend to investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to Pokémon.” IGN asked lawyers whether Nintendo could successfully sue.

If you’re playing, be sure to check out IGN’s interactive Palworld map.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.