Palworld Devs on New Pals: Every Pal Added Should Have Something Players Will Remember It For
While Palworld was first seen as a copycat of Pokémon due to the catch-’em-all mechanic, the moment someone plays it, they’ll see right away that’s not the case.
Sure, Palworld does have creature collecting (called Pals) as one of its focuses, but the gameplay itself is more than that, as it combines collecting with survival, base building, and a more active combat system.
With over 280 Pals available in Palworld right now, and the devs adding more with every major update, how does Pocketpair keep the roster balanced, and what’s the thought process in adding new Pals?
This is the question we asked Pocketpair in our exclusive interview.
Pocketpair Doesn’t Think of New Pals as Simply Adding Another Number to the Roster
Speaking to MP1st, John “Bucky” Buckley, the studio’s Head of Publishing and Communications, answered our question on how the studio will keep the roster fresh as more Pals are added.
MP1st: How will you keep the Pal roster fresh and balanced as more and more are added?
Buckley started by saying, “We try not to think of new Pals as simply adding another number to the roster,” and not targeting a specific number when adding new Pals in an update.
“Rather than saying, ‘We need to release 100 new Pals with the next update,’ we try to add Pals in a meaningful way,” Buckley mentioned, and added, “Ideally, every Pal should have something that gives players a reason to remember it, whether that is its design, abilities, work suitability, combat role, personality, or sometimes just something strange or funny about it.”
Buckley acknowledged that as more Pals are added, it is harder to balance them for players: “Of course, balance becomes more complicated as the roster grows, so we continue to look at player data and feedback every time we release new Pals.”
I can’t say I disagree with Pocketpair’s decision. Thankfully, the game’s thriving, so the studio won’t be pressure to add new Pals just for the sake of keeping players engaged.
In the same chat, Pocketpair also told us that “maximizing revenue” isn’t what drives their creative decisions when it comes to Palworld spinoffs.
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