Why Is Palworld the Most Viral Game of 2024?
Palworld has been generating a lot of buzz lately. Released on 19th January 2024, the game has blown up in no time.
Palworld has literally taken the gaming world by storm. Breaking record after record, the game has amassed a whopping 2 million concurrent players on Steam.
This means surpassing juggernauts like Cyberpunk 2077, Counterstrike, and many more. Now, it is second to only PUBG which holds the record of 3 million concurrent players.
But what is so special about this viral sensation? And why is it breaking the internet all over the world? If you don’t want to miss out on this record-breaking game, read on as we dissect all its interesting details!
Is Palworld the ‘Pokemon with Guns?
Palworld is developed and released by Pocketpair, a gaming studio in Japan. The game revolves around mysterious cute creatures called ‘Pals’ which look similar to Pokemon. Within no time the game got famous with the tagline ‘Pokemon with guns’. This quickly became a meme, a joke all over the internet.
The close resemblance to Pokemon is one of the many reasons why Palworld became so popular with minimal marketing efforts. After all, Pokemon is a massive brand when it comes to entertainment and fun.
The Incredible Success of Palworld
Since its release, Palworld has been exceptional. Be it gaming charts, online player count, or revenue, its success is unbelievable. Palworld was released on 19th January 2024 on Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC (Microsoft Windows).
According to Pocketpair, Palworld has sold eight million copies in less than six days! This figure only includes the sales from Steam, while the sales from Xbox and PC Windows are yet to be quantified. Moreover, Palworld has recorded 2 million concurrent players on Steam.
While achieving this feat, it has become the second game ever to reach this milestone. The first one is PUBG with 3 million concurrent players.
So far there have been no signs of slowing down and it seems that Palworld will break even more records. It’s just a matter of time now.
Palworld Gameplay
Palworld is a game that symbolizes sheer fun. It’s a survival game as you play with Pals armed with weapons. You can use guns to capture them and then train them. They help you survive by gathering resources, constructing buildings, and battling by your side.
All in all, it is a third-person open-world survival game. The game takes place on Palpagos islands which are inhabited by over 100 Pals. You can combat with Pals directly, and then capture them using ‘Pal Spheres.’
Once captured, you can use them for your benefit such as scavenging, crafting, cooking, etc. You can even use them as your weapons in combats.
As a player in Palworld, you need to craft basic tools, gather useful resources, manage your hunger level, and travel within the islands to build your bases. Like most survival games, the emphasis is more on the mounts and explorations. You have to travel across diverse terrains, build unique structures, apply your survival strategies, and apply decision-making skills in a challenging environment.
Controversies Surrounding Palworld
Despite being the most popular game of 2024 so far, PALWORLD has been the center of some controversies.
- Similarity with the Pokemon Series
The internet has gone crazy over the striking similarities between Pals and Pokemon. The tagline ‘Pokemon with guns’ became an instant meme, a joke. But was it concerning enough to cause a lawsuit over the Pocketpair? The CEO thinks otherwise. The Pocketpair CEO TakuroMizobe said that there are no concerns about potential legal issues of copyright infringement over Palworld. It has passed all legal reviews.
However, the Pokemon company says that it has received many inquiries and will investigate them. It also said that they may take appropriate measures if required. But so far no lawsuit has been filed.
- Is Palworld Created Using Generative AI Technology?
There have been some speculations as to whether the Palworld game was created using generative AI technology. This fuels the debate for the replacement of human creativity with Artificial Intelligence. Moreover, the CEO of PocketpairTakuroMizobe once expressed his interest in leveraging AI for gaming in the past. They have also published a game namely ‘AI: Art Impostor’.
So, there is no concrete evidence of Pocketpair using generative AI for Palworld. Moreover, Steam requires a transparent declaration of whether the game developer has used generative AI or not. We have not seen any such declaration from Pocketpair regarding Palworld.
Final Words
Will the Palworld continue tearing up the charts or is it just an instant success for a short time? We will have to wait and see.
But right now, Palworld is all over the gaming world. It has been the latest sensation in action-adventure RPG gaming like no other. If you like survival games, mounts, and explorations, you should not miss out on Palworld!
