Pocketpair’s Palworld is off to a roaring start. Debuting on Xbox Series X|S and PC last week, the game has reportedly sold more than four million copies in addition to being included in Xbox Game Pass subscriptions. But that’s not all. Palworld has set a record on Steam. The game has taken the honour of becoming the sixth game title in history to surpass one million concurrent players on Steam.
Palworld is a survival game which has been banally referred to as ‘Pokemon with guns’. It’s true that many of the game’s ‘pals’ do bare more than a passing similarity to certain Pokemon, and you catch them with balls (or rather, ‘spheres’). However, the game in itself is far removed from the story-led adventures and turn-based battling of that all encompassing franchise. Instead, the gameplay of Palworld lays somewhere between ARK: Survival Evolved and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Despite being in Early Access – or Game Preview on Xbox – Palworld obviously has plenty of appeal. The game isn’t exactly issue free, with many reporting glitches and unstable multiplayer connectivity. However, this could well be due to the immense popularity of the game at launch. With a 1.2m concurrent players peak, Palworld has set a Steam record the surpassed the likes of Cyberpunk 2077, Baldur’s Gate 3 and Elden Ring. In fact, the game has had more simultaneous players than PUBG, Counter-Strike 2, and Dota 2 – three of the most popular titles on Steam.
Of course, with this success in their pocket, the development team are planning a long and winding roadmap for Palworld. As stated above, the game isn’t without issue. But at the same time, it’s not being sold as a finished product. Pocketpair have plenty of opportunity to improve the game and build on these solid foundations. Whether or not they can maintain momentum remains to be seen.
Have you played Palword this weekend? How do you feel about the game? Let us know in the comments below!
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