It didn’t seem like long ago when you couldn’t go more than a few minutes without hearing about Palword, the wildly popular action-adventure, survival, monster-taming game which drew more than a little inspiration from Pokemon but nonetheless broke concurrent streaming records on Steam when it was released back in January 2023.
It’s now six months later, Palworld‘s concurrent player count on Steam has tailed off to around 60,000 rather than the 2 million it boasted near launch and (although it’s normal for games’ popularity to taper off after the excitement coinciding with its initial launch) Palworld community manager John Buckley has more of an explanation.
“I don’t think you need to be pushing yourself to play the same game all the time,” Buckley told the Going Indie podcast, noting that Palworld isn’t a game that’s designed to play forever without relent.
A Lifmunk from Palworld/Pocketpair
“It’s not healthy for us,” Buckley continued, “it’s not healthy for developers, it’s not healthy for gamers, it’s not healthy for gaming media.”
Buckley added that companies designing games meant to be played forever in the vein of Fortnite, Roblox and other live-service games isn’t a healthy precedent to set for the gaming industry overall either.
“And it’s just not healthy for our industry,” Buckley said, “because the more we push this kind of narrative, the more very large companies are going to just say ‘gamers want more live service’.
“And we’re just going to get more of these soulless live service games that come out then get shut down 9-12 months later because they’re not making enough money. And we all lose in that case.”
Variety is the spice of life when it comes to gaming, Buckley contended, and challenges developers to be creative and craft new experiences for players to boot.
“Play all the indies you can,” he added. “Spend as much money on indies as you can. Really, really support the guides who are trying to make fun games. Who cares if there’s only five people playing it? Just enjoy yourself. Just enjoy games. I don’t think it needs to be any more complex than that.”
Black Widow taking aim in Fortnite/Epic Games
Although it’s easy to point the finger and say that Buckley’s viewpoint stems from Palworld‘s diminished player base, it’s interesting to note that back in February, only a month after the game’s monstrous release, Buckley was already pushing the same viewpoint.
“Palworld, like many games before it, isn’t in a position to pump out massive amounts of new content on a weekly basis,” Buckley said on the Palworld Twitter/X account. “New content will come, and it’s going to be awesome, but these things take a little bit of time.
“There are so many amazing games out there to play – you don’t need to feel guilty about hopping from game to game.
Buckley concluded with, “If you are still playing Palworld, we love you. If you’re no longer playing Palworld, we still love you, and we hope you’ll come back for round 2 when you’re ready. Play lots of games, try different genres, and frequently flick through indie libraries to find hidden gems.”
What do you think of Palworld developer John Buckley’s viewpoint that playing the same game all the time is ‘not healthy’ for the industry or players? Do you agree or disagree with his viewpoint? Let us know in the comments.
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