As Pokemon-like survival game Palworld preps for launch, dev says "it is not a scam" or "a money-making MMO or virtual currency game" in bizarre FAQ

17.01.2024 - 19:07 / gamesradar.com / Hirun Cryer

Palworld's devs have bizarrely assured its community that it isn't a scam, and will definitely release later this week on January 19 for real.

The slightly weird statement comes from Palworld's own Steam page, where its developers have put out a full Q&A page with commonly asked questions. One question you usually wouldn't expect from this sort of thing reads "Is this game a scam? Or is it a money-making MMO or virtual currency game?"

"It is not a scam, and will definitely be released on January 19," the Palworld devs write in response to their own question. "PalWorld is a typical Steam game, you buy it once and it is yours forever," the developer continues, apparently assuaging fears that Palworld might one day up and vanish.

"While we may consider expansions after the full release, that is a conversation we will all have together, as a community, when the time comes!" the full Q&A answer from the developers concludes. 

It's a very strange situation, but the question might be best answered by looking elsewhere on Steam. Late last year, The Day Before launched to overwhelmingly negative reviews, as players discovered it wasn't what was promised at all - namely, there was no online component in the supposed MMO whatsoever. 

Perhaps the Palworld developers are looking to avoid suspicions about their own game following Fntastic's fiasco last year. In fact, looking at the comments on the new post, several users suspect that's what's happening here - that the Palworld devs are effectively trying to say "no, this isn't The Day Before all over again."

On the other hand, comparisons to Pokemon might have some doubting Palworld is a real game. The two admittedly share a similar creature design and aesthetic, so much so that Palworld has sometimes been jokingly referred to as 'Pokemon with guns.'

There's even clips of people playing the game early circulating on Twitter, just in case there really was a concern that Palworld is a scam. Anyway, bizarre situation aside, Palworld is set to launch later this week on January 19, and it'll be available on Xbox Game Pass on both PC and Xbox Series X/S systems.

If you're thinking about picking up the early access game at launch, hit up our Palworld cross-platform guide for a look at whether you can play with your friends.