Pocketpair CEO Discusses Challenges of Making Palworld a Live-Service Game
In a recent interview with ASCII Japan, translated by Automaton Media, Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe addressed the possibility of transitioning the open-world creature-collector Palworld into a live-service game. While acknowledging the business benefits of such a model, Mizobe highlighted the difficulties in converting the game, which was originally designed as a buy-to-play (B2P) experience, into a free-to-play (F2P) live-service format.
Mizobe explained that while a live-service approach could extend Palworld‘s lifespan and improve long-term profitability, the game’s foundation wasn’t built with that in mind. He pointed out that many successful live-service games, such as PUBG and Fall Guys, made similar transitions but required years of development to do so. “It’s not that easy,” Mizobe stated, citing the challenges of moving from a paid game to one with free-to-play elements like skins and battle passes without alienating the existing player base.
Even though some players interpreted the interview as a sign that Palworld was headed for a live-service future, Mizobe was clear that no such transition was planned. In response to concerns raised on social media, Pocketpair clarified in a post that the interview took place several months ago, and the team had already decided that the F2P or games-as-a-service (GaaS) model wasn’t right for Palworld.
Instead, the studio is considering other monetization options, such as skins and DLC, though these are still in the theoretical stages. For now, the primary focus remains on improving Palworld and making it the best game possible. Mizobe also shared that in-game ads were briefly considered as a revenue option, but this idea was wisely scrapped given how PC players, particularly on Steam, strongly dislike ads.
The discussion shows that while Palworld continues to evolve, the developers are carefully weighing how best to sustain the game’s future without compromising its core experience.
