Today Palworld developer Pocketpair took to Steam to debunk rumors that alleged the possibility that the game would switch to a free-to-play or live service model.
In the post made on Valve’s platform, the developer mentions an interview by ASCII translated by the western arm of Automaton Media, in which CEO Takuro Mizobe discussed future possibilities.
The post clarifies that the interview was actually conducted several months ago, at a time in which the developers were still considering “the best way forward for Palworld to create a long-lasting game that continues to grow.”
While the theme is still being discussed internally, the developers have already determined that the free-to-play or game-as-a-service approach is not suitable for Palworld, so the game will remain buy-to-play as it is now.
The game was not designed for it, and a switch would require too much work to adapt it to that sort of business model. On top of that, the developers are aware that players wouldn’t want that approach, and they put players first.
That being said, Pocketpair is still considering skins and DLC in the future to help support development, but they intend to discuss the topic with their player base when they get closer to that point. At the moment, their priority remains “making Palworld the best game possible.”
The message concludes with an apology for any concern caused and the hope that this clarifies the developer’s position.
Palworld is currently available for PC and Xbox, including Game Pass. As the game is in early access, its developers have been updating it consistently, improving the game and adding more content.
