Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors has acknowledged it's «way too early» for the company to «start talking about» acquiring new studios.
15.03.2024 - 12:33 / ign.com / Takuro Mizobe / Nintendo
The boss of Palworld developer Pocketpair has said the company can’t handle the massive profits the game has generated.
Palworld launched in January and overnight became one of the biggest games in the world, setting records not only on Steam but on Xbox Game Pass, where it is the biggest third-party game launch ever. So far, the $30 ‘Pokémon with guns’ crafting and survival game has seen an incredible 25 million players, with 15 million copies sold on Steam and 10 million players on Xbox.
Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg, Pocketpair boss Takuro Mizobe confirmed Palworld cost less than ¥1 billion ($6.7 million) to make, and has made tens of billions of yen in profit. For context, ¥10 billion is around $67.2 million.
It’s an amount that is “too big for a studio with our size to handle,” said Mizobe, who later clarified he has no intention of expanding or offering shares in the company. Rather, he wants Pocketpair to remain small (it’s currently 55 people). Mizobe said he is open to a partnership or acquisition, but insisted he has not started buyout talks with Microsoft. Perhaps more pressing, Pocketpair is in talks to bring Palworld to more platforms, suggesting a potential PlayStation 5 and Nintendo console release in the future.
While Palworld is one of the biggest game launches ever, it’s also one of the most controversial. Pocketpair has said its staff has received death threats amid Pokémon "rip-off" claims, which it has denied. Soon after launch, Nintendo moved quickly to remove an eye-catching Pokémon mod, then The Pokemon Company issued a statement, saying: "We intend to investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to Pokémon." IGN asked lawyers whether Nintendo could successfully sue.
If you're playing, be sure to check out IGN's interactive Palworld map.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors has acknowledged it's «way too early» for the company to «start talking about» acquiring new studios.
Apple is on the verge of introducing new AI features with the release of iOS 18, as it has been working on various tools for a while. However, the company is also keen on improving the Apple Maps experience for users so they do not have to rely on Google Maps. The company has been working to improve its Maps app as well as the navigation it offers, with a handful of nifty improvements, as shown in the patent below.
Take-Two has announced plans to acquire Gearbox Entertainment from the embattled Embracer Group, in a deal reported to be worth $460 million. The buyout makes logical sense, as Gearbox Entertainment will operate under the framework of 2K Games, which has long been the publisher of the popular Borderlands series. It’ll be led by founder Randy Pitchford.
Halo and Call of Duty co-developer Certain Affinity has been hit with a wave of layoffs, CEO Max Hoberman announced.
Embracer have announced that they're selling Borderlands developers Gearbox Entertainment to Take-Two Interactive, owners of 2K Games and GTA 6 developers Rockstar, for $460 million in Take-Two shares. Three Gearbox Software studios - the flagship studio in Texas, together with Gearbox Montréal and Gearbox Quebec - will change hands as part of the deal. Take-Two will also acquire the Borderlands and Tiny Tina's Wonderlands franchises, together with Homeworld, Risk of Rain, Brothers in Arms and Duke Nukem.
After months of rumors, the Embracer Group has confirmed an agreement to sell parts of Gearbox Entertainment to Take-Two Interactive for $460 million. The divested assets include Gearbox Software, Gearbox Montreal, Gearbox Studio Quebec and franchises like Borderlands, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, Homeworld, Risk of Rain, Duke Nukem and Brothers in Arms.
Developers shutting down a live service game should consider releasing a modified version that supports private servers, according to a Knockout City developer.
Karen Gillan, star of Mike Flanagan’s upcoming Stephen King adaptation The Life of Chuck, said a rough cut of the film had her "crying for days."
The developer of Palworld is looking for an artist to create comics full of "cuteness and fun," and has used heartbreaking artwork as an example.
Palworld developer Pocketpair will remain a small studio, despite the success of its «Pokémon with guns» survival game.
Since launch in January, Palworld players have been begging for the survival game to add an essential colony sim feature: the ability to precisely assign workers to different tasks. In a new image posted to Discord by community manager Bucky, developer Pocketpair has teased just that. Have a look:
Palworld developer Pocketpair has revealed that talks are ongoing for the game to come to more platforms. Palworld was initially released in January for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, leaving PlayStation and Nintendo Switch gamers wondering when they'll be able to get their hands on one of the most popular games of the game.