It’s kind of crazy to think about, but it’s already been two and a half years since Palworld first entered early access and took the gaming world by storm. It was the first real competitor to Pokemon in decades, and so people were understandably excited. Everyone except Nintendo, which immediately resorted to lawsuits and extremely dubious patents (to put it lightly) in an effort to kill both the game and its maker Pocketpair. Welp, looks like that strat ain’t working. Not only is Palworld still around, but it’s getting a new MMO in just a few months!
To jump right into the news as reported by Gematsu, the new Palworld game is to be called “Palworld Online” and will be launching for both iOS and Android sometime in the latter half of this year. The developer this time will be a company called Garena, which apparently has experience making these sorts of games for mobile. Pocketpair is still the IP holder, of course, but they’re not the direct makers this time.
Here’s the overview of the game that Garena provided in its announcement:
Developed and published by Garena, Palworld Online reimagines the depth, freedom, and scale of the original PC survival creature-collecting title for mobile. As an officially licensed title, it introduces a new narrative setting with original story elements, while expanding into a Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) ecosystem.
Featuring a seamless, interconnected open world, Palworld Online invites players to journey alongside mysterious creatures called “Pals” and progress as a team—anytime, anywhere.Key Features
- A Seamless Open World for Discovery and Creature Collecting – Players can traverse a vast, interconnected ecosystem with their Pals, uncovering hidden treasures, clues to the lore, and challenges. From capturing and raising Pals to unlocking new regions across the map, each encounter is designed to feel meaningful and deepen the bond between players and their companions.
In addition to the original story and unique lore, Palworld Online will also expand the narrative with new side stories created exclusively for this version, inviting players deeper into Palworld Online.- Online Play and Cooperative Progression – Centered on playing together, Palworld Online lets players meet others in the world, form groups, build shared settlements, and engage in cooperative and competitive activities—from tackling challenging player-versus-environment encounters with friends to facing thrilling player-versus-player matches.
Those seeking a more relaxed pace can visit others’ bases, team up to fight rampaging bosses in the open world, or hunt down rare Pals together.- Immersive Survival and Crafting in a Shared World – Together with their friends, players can establish a shared home base that grows into a collaborative hub for crafting, defence, and daily life. By expanding structures and deploying Pals to automate production and safeguard the settlement, players can focus on creating a living space that supports social interaction.
- Designed for Mobile Accessibility – Optimized specifically for mobile play, Palworld Online features a streamlined, touch-friendly interface with optional one-tap controls, making base planning, construction, relocation, and Pal deployment easier to manage on handheld devices, without sacrificing depth or flexibility across a wide range of phone specifications.
I’m not usually one to celebrate the announcement of a mobile game, but, hey, lots of people are only on mobile, so this is a great chance for Palworld to get an even bigger audience. It’d be fantastic if it did grow as an IP as a result too, because Nintendo really needs the competition.
While many seem all to willing to forget Nintendo’s very anti-consumer position as soon as the company announces its latest re-remaster of some old Zelda or Mario, I’m staying stalwartly in favor of holding its feet to the fire as much as possible. The company has gotten altogether way too comfortable resting on its laurels when it comes to the games it makes, and it’s gotten even worse about throwing its weight (and cash) around trying to crush even the slightest hint of honest competition.
It probably feels it has to do it too since, if it didn’t, it wouldn’t be able to gouge its customers at every possible opportunity. But you know what? Who cares? The company unapologetically rakes in the cash like there’s no tomorrow, and it taking in just slightly less (or heaven forbid actually working for it for a change) would evoke absolutely no sympathy from me. They should be trying their best to earn your business, but they’d rather you just not have any other choice.
So, congratulations to Palworld and to Pocketpair on this announcement. You’ve survived the Nintendo Slimy Standard, now go out there and take the very best kind of revenge on it: absolute and uproarious success!
Have you played Palworld? What do you think about this announcement? How about the Ls Nintendo keeps taking on its frivolous patents and lawsuits?
Image from the Steam page