Palworld Team Addresses Free-to-Play Controversy
Palworld developer Pocketpair settles the free-to-play debate once and for all.
Is Palworld going to shift to a free-to-play model? That's the question Palworld players have been pondering and debating this week after a new interview made the rounds wherein Palworld boss Takuro Mizobe was asked what the future of the paid Xbox and PC game looked like and whether or not that future involved a free-to-play, live-service model. Mizobe was quoted as saying Pocketpair was still undecided on what the future of the game would look like in terms of paid vs. free-to-play models, but according to a new statement from the developer, the information presented was outdated, and Palworld will not transition to a free-to-play game after all.
The interview in question was published by ASCII.jp with one question towards the end asking Mizobe what the future of the game looked like. One option was to keep the game as it is where players pay for it like normal, but the other idea Mizobe floated was that Palworld "becomes a LiveOps game."
Cue the intense opinions and outcry from Palworld players who had already paid for the game and were now being presented with the possibility that their paid game could be free for others. Aside from that, many players like the current Palworld model and worried what a free-to-play version might look like with those types of games usually incorporating more monetization systems into the formula like battle passes and so on to make ends meet.
As it turns out, all the fuss was for nothing. Whether this interview was newly published or just an older, now updated one that's making the rounds again isn't clear, but what is known is that the information in it is currently outdated. The Palworld Twitter account addressed that fact in a statement shared on Saturday to address the free-to-play controversy and to reassure players that nothing is changing.
"In fact, this interview was conducted several months ago. At that time, we were still considering the best way forward for Palworld to create a long-lasting game that continues to grow," the statement said. "We are still discussing this internally, as it is quite challenging to find the ideal path, but we have already decided that the F2P/GaaS approach is not suitable for us."
Regarding the Future of Palworld
— Palworld (@Palworld_EN) September 14, 2024
TL;DR – We are not changing our game's business model, it will remain buy-to-play and not f2p or GaaS.
Recently, an article was published in which we discussed the possible future direction of Palworld and ideas for continuing the game for a…
The statement went on to say that Palworld "was never designed with that model in mind" and that adapting the game into that sort of setup now would be far too much work. Rather, Palworld will still get routine updates to add and improve content, though DLCs and the new Palworld skins for different Pals are still on the table as paid options in the future.
"We are still considering skins and DLC for Palworld in future as a means to support development, but we will discuss this with you all again as we get closer to that point," Pocketpair said. "For now, our priority remains making Palworld the best game possible."
In hindsight, there were indeed some red flags that the info in the interview was not the most current. Mizobe's answer included commitments to a new map and raids for Palworld players to embark on, but both of those things have already happened. Sakurajima Island was added earlier this year, and Palworld already has several different raids. People ran with the free-to-play comments regardless, but Pocketpair's statement should put an end to the fuss, for now.
