Palworld Breaks AAA Gaming Norms

Palworld's record-breaking success could have positioned developer Pocketpair for AAA-level projects, but CEO Takuro Mizobe reveals the studio is charting a different course. Here's why the team is turning down the traditional path to blockbuster development.

Palworld Profits Could Make Pocketpair Go 'Beyond AAA' If They Wanted

Pocketpair Commits to Indie Roots and Community Growth

The breakout success of creature-collecting survival game Palworld has given developer Pocketpair financial resources that could rival major AAA studios. Yet CEO Takuro Mizobe confirms the team remains uninterested in pursuing traditional AAA development models.

Speaking with GameSpark, Mizobe shared Palworld sales have reached "the tens of billions of yen" (approximately $68.57 million USD equivalent). Despite these staggering earnings, the CEO believes Pocketpair's structure doesn't align with conventional AAA production scales.

"We built Palworld using profits from Craftopia and Overdungeon," Mizobe explained. "But applying our current windfall to development would create projects beyond AAA scale – something our organization isn't mature enough to handle."

The CEO emphasized his personal disinterest in massive-budget projects, preferring instead to create "games that capture indie spirit." Pocketpair aims to explore how far they can innovate while maintaining indie-scale operations.

Mizobe highlighted current industry trends favoring indie development: "With powerful modern engines and global distribution platforms, smaller teams can achieve worldwide success without massive infrastructure." He credited Pocketpair's growth to indie community support and expressed commitment to giving back.

Palworld Expands Beyond Gaming

Despite Palworld's Early Access success and recent Sakurajima update (introducing PvP arenas and new islands), Mizobe confirms the company won't pursue conventional expansion through larger offices or staff. Instead, Pocketpair has partnered with Sony to form Palworld Entertainment, focusing on IP expansion into merchandise and other media formats.

The developer continues updating Palworld while maintaining its indie-focused philosophy, proving commercial success doesn't necessarily require AAA-scale transformation.