Palworld developer Pocketpair has decided not to raise the price of the game for this week’s 1.0 launch. Instead, it will remain priced $29.99.
Palworld’s Early Access Steam page still says “The price of the game may increase at or closer to the official release,” as it has done so since early 2024. That led many to think Palworld would get more expensive when 1.0 launches on July 10.
However, Pocketpair has announced it’s sticking with $29.99 “as a small way of saying thank you.”
“After much thought, we have decided not to raise the price of Palworld following the 1.0 release and will keep it at $29.99,” Pocketpair said in a statement on social media. “We are incredibly proud of how far Palworld has come. Thanks to the amazing support of our players, it has become a success beyond our wildest dreams. As a small way of saying thank you, we’ll be keeping the price at $29.99. Thank you for your continued support.”
“Success” is perhaps an understatement when it comes to Palworld. It’s seen an incredible 40 million players since Early Access launch — a number that will no doubt increase when the 1.0 update comes out. When Palworld launched it broke sales and concurrent player number records. Pocketpair boss Takuro Mizobe has said Palworld’s launch was so big that the developer couldn’t handle the massive profits the game generated. Pocketpair acted swiftly to capitalize on Palworld’s breakout success, signing a deal with Sony to form a new business called Palworld Entertainment that was tasked with expanding the IP. It later launched the game on PS5.
Still, it’s not been plain sailing for Pocketpair. After Palworld’s huge launch, comparisons were made between Palworld’s Pals and Pokémon, with some accusing Pocketpair of “ripping off” Pokémon designs. But rather than file a copyright infringement lawsuit, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company went down the patent route. In the initial lawsuit, the two companies called for 5 million yen (approx $30,000) each plus late payment damages, as well as an injunction against Palworld that would block its release. A judgement is expected later this year.
For now, Palworld 1.0 is waiting in the wings, and we’ve got the global release times for Palworld’s 1.0 launch if you want to know when you can play. John “Bucky” Buckley, head of publishing and communications at Pocketpair, has teased 27 pages of changes and additions for the patch notes. Bucky has also told existing Palworld players that they do not need to wipe their data for 1.0, “but you should.”
“Players can continue their existing saves if they wish, as we want to respect the time and effort you have put in,” Bucky explained in a Discord post. “However, due to the large number of changes to the game, including overhauls to mechanics and new content, we believe that starting a new character will give you the best experience of Palworld!
“We will leave that choice up to you, Pal Tamers!”
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
