Pocketpair has announced that Palworld has reached 40 million players worldwide. This significant player count comes as the game's full 1.0 version is slated for release on July 10.
The 40 million figure represents the total number of players across all platforms, including sales on Steam and availability through subscription services like Game Pass. Palworld first launched into Early Access in January 2024, quickly breaking sales and concurrent player records.
Developer Pocketpair has acknowledged the immense success, with CEO Takuro Mizobe previously stating that the game's rapid profitability was unexpected. Following its breakout launch, the studio partnered with Sony to establish Palworld Entertainment, aiming to expand the intellectual property and leading to the game's eventual release on PlayStation 5.
Since its early access debut, Palworld has faced comparisons to Pokémon, with accusations of design similarities leading to legal scrutiny. Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have pursued a patent infringement lawsuit, seeking damages and an injunction. A judgment is anticipated later this year.
Pocketpair expressed gratitude to its player base for their continued support over the past 2.5 years. Regarding the upcoming 1.0 update, John “Bucky” Buckley, head of publishing and communications, has indicated extensive changes, teasing 27 pages of patch notes. While players can carry over their existing save data, Buckley advises that starting a new game is recommended to fully experience the overhauls and new content introduced in the full release.
"Players can continue their existing saves if they wish, as we want to respect the time and effort you have put in," Buckley explained in a Discord post. "However, due to the large number of changes to the game, including overhauls to mechanics and new content, we believe that starting a new character will give you the best experience of Palworld! We will leave that choice up to you, Pal Tamers!"