[TGS24] Crafting the Future of Palworld: Interview with Pocketpair’s Bucky

We had the opportunity to interview Bucky, the Global Community Manager and Business Development representative from Pocketpair, at Tokyo Game Show 2024. The discussion provided valuable insights into the development, success, and future plans for the popular game Palworld. Our conversation revealed the challenges and triumphs of a small team thrust into the spotlight by unexpected success, as well as exciting hints about the game’s future.

Unexpected Success and Team Growth

Palworld’s early access launch was a phenomenal success that caught even its creators off guard. Bucky candidly shared the team’s reaction: “No, we did not expect it to be that big at all. Everyone at Pocketpair knew Palworld was something special. Especially towards the end of last year, we saw our numbers rising, rising, rising. But we still didn’t expect the release to be as crazy as it was.”

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This unexpected popularity has led to rapid expansion at Pocketpair. The company has more than doubled in size since Palworld’s launch, growing from about 30 employees to over 70. However, this growth hasn’t been without its challenges. Bucky explained, “We are expanding as fast as we can, but obviously it is difficult. And I think something that a lot of people don’t realize is that we can hire new people, but it will take weeks to onboard them on the engine, on the development, [and what] we’re going to do next.”

The team’s efforts to keep up with the game’s popularity have resulted in what Bucky described as “a lot of hat-swapping” at Pocketpair, with team members taking on multiple roles to meet demand.

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Upcoming Updates and Player Feedback

Pocketpair is actively working to enhance Palworld based on player feedback, with a particular focus on improving the end-game experience. Bucky elaborated on this point: “A lot of the feedback we got from players at early access launch was that the early and the mid game is really fun, really fleshed out. And then a lot of players have a lot of difficulty with the endgame of current Palworld. They really struggle with the grinding and the breeding mechanics and stuff.”

In response to this feedback, the team has already implemented some changes and is planning more. “We recently added hard mode bosses to give players more challenges to do, and we’re adding more raids and stuff like that,” Bucky said. He also mentioned that PvP is a frequent player request, stating, “PvP is something a lot of players ask about, and it’s something that we’re trying to find the best way to do.”

Future Content and Collaborations in Palworld

While specific details about future content were limited, Bucky hinted at exciting updates on the horizon. He mentioned themed updates similar to the recent Sakurajima update, which featured Japanese cultural elements: “I think the plan right now is to do small updates, and then larger named updates, like the Sakurajima update. So we’re cooking something at the moment. I can’t really share much about it. It does have a theme, you are correct. But I can’t really talk much about it right now.”

Regarding collaborations with other companies, Bucky was cautious but optimistic: “As far as collaborations go with other companies, at the moment we’re not really sure. We’d like to do some fun stuff. We have some fun ideas. But we’re a relatively small company, so we need to take things pretty slow.”

PlayStation Launch and Cross-Platform Aspirations

Palworld’s recent launch on PlayStation marks a significant milestone for the game. Bucky expressed enthusiasm about this development: “We want as many players in the world to enjoy Palworld, and PlayStation has always been on our minds since day one. Unfortunately, we couldn’t do it very early, just because we’re a small team and the limitations. But we’ve been working with Sony for quite a few months now to get this going.”

The initial reception on PlayStation has been positive, with Bucky noting, “It’s only been, I think, two days or something, but already we’ve had a really amazing reception from our PlayStation fans.” Looking to the future, cross-play functionality is a high priority for the team, with Bucky mentioning it as one of the key features they’re working on alongside other major updates.

Palworld Roadmap and Development Goals

While Pocketpair is hesitant to provide specific dates for updates, Bucky outlined some key priorities for the game’s development. “We don’t really want to give dates on the roadmap. We kind of learned that lesson the hard way from our previous game, Craftopia,” he explained.

Instead, the team is focusing on a set of goals for the early access period. Bucky elaborated: “We have a set of goals that we want to achieve during the early access period. And that roadmap represents Palworld early access. So when that roadmap is complete, we consider Palworld almost complete.”

Key priorities include perfecting dedicated server support, implementing modding support, developing PvP features, and working on cross-play functionality. “At the moment, I think the big things are just getting the dedicated server support perfect. We’re going to start working on modding support soon. We’re trying to do PvP, and crossplay is also a big priority for us right now,” Bucky stated.

Story Development in Palworld

Bucky tantalizingly hinted at deeper narrative elements yet to be revealed in Palworld. “There is a central mystery to Palworld related to the giant tree that’s visible from the island. Everything will be revealed when the player gets to visit the tree. That is when we consider the true story of Palworld to be revealed,” he shared. However, he also noted that this content is not planned for release during the early access period, building anticipation for future updates.

Southeast Asian Fans and Future Events

The team at Pocketpair expressed deep appreciation for their Southeast Asian fanbase. Bucky enthusiastically stated, “We love our Southeast Asian fans. We wish we could visit. We’re hoping to visit soon.”

He then hinted at potential future appearances: “We’re going to visit maybe one or two Southeast Asia events early next year. I can’t say the name, but hint, hint. Early next year. So hopefully we’ll get to meet all of our fans at that time.”

As Palworld continues to evolve, it’s clear that Pocketpair is committed to expanding and refining the game based on player feedback while managing the challenges that come with unexpected success. The future looks bright for this unique game, with plenty of exciting developments on the horizon for fans to look forward to.