Palworld Devs Deny "Pokemon With Guns" Tag

When people mention Palworld, what immediately comes to mind? Unfortunately for its creators, the answer is often "Pokémon with guns."

This shorthand emerged when the game first gained viral popularity, likely fueling its rapid rise thanks to the unexpected mashup of contrasting concepts. Even we at IGN used the phrase, just like many others. It was an easy way for newcomers to grasp the premise instantly.

However, Pocketpair communications director John 'Bucky' Buckley reveals "Pokémon with guns" was never the intended branding. In fact, he admits the studio isn't particularly fond of the moniker. He discussed this during a recent Game Developers Conference talk, reflecting on Palworld's 2021 breakout.

"We debuted the game in June 2021 at Japan's Indie Live Expo," he recalled. "The Japanese audience responded well, but Western media quickly latched onto the 'certain franchise with guns' label—a comparison that's persisted despite our best efforts."

In a follow-up interview, Buckley elaborated that Pokémon wasn't the core inspiration. While many developers are fans of the series, their vision leaned closer to ARK: Survival Evolved.

"Our team loves ARK—Craftopia even borrowed some mechanics," he explained. "We aimed to expand that concept, emphasizing creature personalities and automation. Then that first trailer dropped, and the label stuck. Was it ideal? Not really, but we accepted it."

When pressed on whether the comparison boosted Palworld's success, Buckley conceded: "Absolutely. Dave from New Blood even trademarked 'Pokémonwithguns.com.' The hype helped, no question."

Yet he expressed frustration with players who mistake the comparison for reality: "Call it that if you must, but play it first. The gameplay experience barely resembles Pokémon."

Buckley also dismissed the notion of direct competition with Pokémon or other titles like Helldivers 2: "Audience overlap isn't that significant. Honestly, I think 'competition' in gaming is overblown—it's more about release timing than rivalry."

So what tagline would he have preferred? "Maybe: 'Palworld—ARK meets Factorio with a dash of Happy Tree Friends.'" He laughed, admitting it wasn’t quite as catchy.