The infamousPalworldhas recently dropped on PlayStation consoles, much to the surprise of many in the gaming community. The game, which has made headlines in the past few weeksthanks to a nebulous Nintendo lawsuit, was previously only available on PC and Xbox, where it found an unexpectedly robust audience.
It doesn’t take a gaming historian to see the similarities betweenPalworldand another major franchise:Pokémon.Palworldadopts the monster-collecting premise of Nintendo’s world-famous IP, but takes it in a radically different, somewhat more disturbing direction, as players essentially use Pals, the game’s equivalent of Pokémon, for slave labor and visceral combat encounters. But it’s this unique approach to the monster-collecting formula, once dominated by Nintendo, that makesPalworldso appealing to many players: the constant forward momentum of the survival genre, which enshroudsPalworld, coupled with an emphasis on deeper, real-time combat, has helped the game flourish in spite of its obvious, legally dubious connections to Nintendo. WithPalworldnow available on PlayStation 5, it looks like it could be reaching a wider audience than ever.
Palworld On PlayStation Plus Seems Like a No-Brainer
Palworldwas a day-one Game Pass release, which was a considerable factor in its success. Coming from a studio with virtually no track record and with a pre-release public image defined by its similarity toPokémon,Palworldcould have easily been destined for irrelevance, relegated to the realm of cheap knock-offs and dime-a-dozen survival games. Indeed, the game existed as more of a meme than a highly anticipated title in the public eye ahead of its release; the “Pokemon, but with guns” premise did enough to capture players' attention, but its grasp could have been tenuous.
Survival Games Like Palworld Are a Good Match for Games-On-Demand Services
Most people know aboutPalworldat this point, so it’s not like it needs the publicity boost that PlayStation Plus Extra could offer, but such a move couldstill increase its player base on PS5.A number of survival games, includingThe Long DarkandConan Exiles, have thrived on Sony’s subscription service, at least in part because of the nature of the genre. Successful survival games dig their claws into the player, hooking them within the first few minutes through satisfying progression systems that make the prospect of dozens of hours of gameplay seem reasonable. These games, especially those that receive regular updates likePalworld, require players to get addicted to the gameplay loop early on, convincing them to stick with it for the long haul; a lot of them don’t truly get started until at least ten hours in.
Thus, by offering a low-commitment entry point like a games-on-demand subscription service, games likePalworldcan cultivate an even greater audienceof dedicated players, players that will either extend their subscription or take the plunge and buy the game when it gets removed from the service. This is particularly helpful for those still on the fence about the game or not particularly interested in the survival space, as they are the least likely to shell out $30 for the whole product, at least not before trying it first.
Palworld
WHERE TO PLAY
In this game, you may peacefully live alongside mysterious creatures known as Pals or risk your life to drive off a ruthless poaching syndicate. Pals can be used to fight and breed, or they can be made to work on farms or factories. You can even sell them or eat them.Survival: In a harsh environment where food is scarce and vicious poachers roam, danger waits around every corner. To survive, you must tread carefully and make difficult choices…even if that means eating your own Pals when the time comes.Mounts & Exploration: Pals can be mounted to traverse the land, sea and sky—allowing you to traverse all kinds of environment as you explore the world.Collect all kinds of exciting Pals to fight, farm, build, and work for you in this completely new multiplayer, open world survival and crafting game!
