Palworld lead says "a very story-based" spin on the survival game is possible, as he knows "a lot of creature collector fans are used to story games" more like Pokemon

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Palworld lead says "a very story-based" spin on the survival game is possible, as he knows "a lot of creature collector fans are used to story games" more like Pokemon News By Scott McCrae published 3 December 2025

The original was "never designed to be a linear narrative game" however

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(Image credit: Pocketpair)

Pocketpair Publishing boss and Palworld designer John "Bucky" Buckley says that a more linear story-based take on the Palworld franchise could be explored in the future.

Although I think Nintendo and Pocketpair would rather it stop, it's impossible to talk about Palworld without Pokemon coming up. But when it comes down to it, the two games don't really have all that much in common outside of the creature collecting aspects. One is an open-world survival crafting game while the other is an RPG with a predefined arc, generally seeing you battle the gym leaders and become the Elite Four champion.

Palworld is, ultimately, a survival crafting game. I know a lot of creature collector fans are used to story games, but Palworld was never designed to be a linear narrative game. It's open-ended on purpose. Perhaps in future, a very story-based Palworld can be made though🤔December 2, 2025

Bucky recently asked Palworld fans what the one thing they would like to see added to the game would be, whether it be "big or small, realistic or completely impossible." One user says that they would love to see story and narrative elements added to the game, adding that they struggle to keep playing without some narrative pushing it forward.

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Bucky responds to this user, saying that Palworld is a survival crafting game at its core: "Palworld is, ultimately, a survival crafting game. I know a lot of creature collector fans are used to story games, but Palworld was never designed to be a linear narrative game. It's open-ended on purpose."

However, it's not all bad news. As the franchise grows with spin-offs like Palfarm, Bucky notes: "Perhaps in future, a very story-based Palworld can be made though." Of course, that ignores the existence of the Palworld dating sim which is mostly story-based, but granted that probably wouldn't be the same story found in the mainline game.

Palworld dev isn’t impressed by "so-called" AAA, prefers indies since they "include the kind of systems you can’t find in other games": "AAA titles are overwhelmingly about graphic quality and fidelity"

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Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. CATEGORIES Xbox Series X PS5 PC Gaming Xbox One Platforms Xbox PlayStation Scott McCraeSocial Links NavigationContributor

Scott has been freelancing for over three years across a number of different gaming publications, first appearing on GamesRadar+ in 2024. He has also written for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, VG247, Play, TechRadar, and others. He's typically rambling about Metal Gear Solid, God Hand, or any other PS2-era titles that rarely (if ever) get sequels.

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Logout Read more Palworld's new farming sim spin-off has been in the works "for over a year now," but Pocketpair is still hiding "something even CRAZIER" that's not been announced yet    Palworld dev seemingly fires back at comparisons between life sim spin-off Palfarm and Pokemon Pokopia, says he's "surprised" folks think Pocketpair has "wizard-level developers able to make a game in 1 week"    As Palworld gears up for another indie collab, dev says "it's a dream come true to be trusted by the developers of our favorite games" and the Terraria and Ultrakill crossovers happened because "we like them"    Palworld lead reminds players the game "is 100% owned, 100% funded, 100% invested and 100% controlled by us, Pocketpair" as some question Sony business deal: "I'm crashing out over this fr fr"    Palworld dev pushes back on Early Access criticisms, points to examples like Baldur's Gate 3 and Satisfactory: "Games only get better when the players are involved"    Palworld publisher vows to "keep leveraging" the success of the survival game to "help cool people make cool games," like this fantasy looter-shooter made by a small team    Latest in Survival Games No Man's Sky lead responds to reports of stolen assets in fellow open-world survival game Once Human, says the "joke's on them" because they're actually unfinished    Player count collapse? Roadmap? Buddy, we've got bigger problems, Dune: Awakening player decides, making it his life's goal to get the MMO's "useless" melee combat fixed    Minecraft lead says "I'm looking forward to Hytale" personally, but tells curious fans "there are many Minecraft-like games, so I doubt it will change much for us"    Palworld dev isn’t impressed by "so-called" AAA, prefers indies since they "include the kind of systems you can’t find in other games": "AAA titles are overwhelmingly about graphic quality and fidelity"    Hytale early access release date set for January 2026 just weeks after it's reacquired by original founders, following 5 years and cancellation at Riot: "If you don’t feel comfortable pre-ordering, please don't"    Palworld publisher vows to "keep leveraging" the success of the survival game to "help cool people make cool games," like this fantasy looter-shooter made by a small team    Latest in News Palworld lead says "a very story-based" spin on the survival game is possible, as he knows "a lot of creature collector fans are used to story games" more like Pokemon    The Elder Scrolls 6 probably isn't making an appearance at The Game Awards, and once again, the RPG community is begging Bethesda for literally anything: "Please, Todd"    Red Dead Redemption's free Xbox Series X upgrade is currently broken with fans baffled after being asked to buy the whole game again, but Rockstar is "working with Microsoft to resolve it"    The Chainsaw Man author's manga one-shot that broke my heart is getting a surprise live-action adaptation    Bioshock creator Ken Levine's new narrative FPS Judas was shaped by a "stream of consciousness" where an anti-social character prefers vending machines to people: "Conversation is a prelude to failure"    Ralph Fiennes is experimenting on the infected and Jack O'Connell is wreaking havoc in new trailer for horror sequel 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple    GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS

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