Palworld May Have Timed its Early Access Release Poorly

The Pokemon franchise has inspired numerous games in the monster-collecting genre over the years, but none look to be as bizarre as the upcoming indie title Palworld. Often described as "Pokemon with guns," Palworld blends elements of several genres aside from monster collecting including open-world exploration, survival-crafting mechanics, and third-person shooter gameplay. While many curious fans of Pokemon and the monster-collecting genre are tentatively interested in this title, the recent announcement of its early access period beginning in January 2024 comes at a poor time if the game wishes to stand out from its inspiration.

Palworld was first revealed back in Summer 2021 from developer Pocketpair, and its trailer immediately captured audiences with its wild, over-the-top approach to the monster-collecting genre that includes seemingly everything but the kitchen sink. While many were intrigued by the concept of mixing cute Pal creatures with shooter gameplay, the promise of those elements on top of a multiplayer, open-world game with survival and crafting elements seemed too good to be true. Although Palworld suffered a series of delays pushing its release from 2022 to 2023 and now finally to early 2024, it still may have a rough road ahead due to its unfortunate early access release window.

Palworld's Early Access Launch May Have to Compete with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's DLC

Players looking forward to seeing what Palworld's "Pokemon with guns" gameplay is all about will finally have the opportunity to do so when the game launches in early access in January 2024. However, this may not have been the best timing for its release as it will likely have to face direct competition with its much more popular inspiration as Pokemon Scarlet and Violet' s DLC is set to release around the same time. Palworld is obviously a much smaller title compared to the gaming juggernaut that is Pokemon, so it would be a shame to have its launch eclipsed by the series it looks to emulate.

The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is set to launch in two waves, with The Teal Mask slated for Fall 2023 and The Indigo Disk set for Winter 2023. While specific dates have yet to be revealed, it's likely that The Teal Mask will see a release sometime between September 2023 and November 2023. The Indigo Disk's release date is a bit more up in the air as Winter 2023 could mean December, but it could also extend as far out as January or February 2024.

If The Indigo Disk hits the later end of its winter release window, it's likely to draw a lot of attention from Pokemon and monster-collecting fans that would otherwise be given to Palworld. Despite just being DLC for the existing Pokemon Scarlet and Violet games, The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero looks to offer enough new content to renew hype for the Gen 9 games and potentially stave off any challenge from similar competing titles. Even if Palworld does offer a new twist on the genre, it may not be enough to garner the attention Pocketpair is looking for from an audience that will likely be preoccupied with a much larger offering.

Palworld is already in a strange situation where it seems to be promising a lot of features that have yet to be shown meshing well together, but it still has enough of a following to be featured in showcases like Summer Game Fest 2023. An untested game of this scope going up against the titan that is Pokemon seems like a recipe for disaster, and better off releasing during a lull in the Pokemon development cycle to hold fans over until the next big release. Its success could be riding entirely on when The Indigo Disk DLC releases, which is ultimately out of Pocketpair's hands.