Palworld was released on January 19th and, within just three days, it sold over four million copies. This game, originally thought to be a ‘joke project’ when it was revealed in 2021, has taken the world by storm. While it may appear to be a Pokémon clone on the surface, the game’s peculiar mechanics and violent features help it stand out from Nintendo’s epic monster-catching series.
Palworld shows no signs of slowing down, with millions of players immersing themselves in the game’s eccentric ecosystem. Although it’s available on Game Pass, it has seen its most remarkable success on Steam, where it has shattered records and become the second most-played paid game in history on the platform.
Palworld’s Success
Palworld is one of the most peculiar games to gain such rapid popularity. It’s an open-world survival game created by Pocket Pair, seemingly in competition with Pokémon. In the game, players capture and train ‘Pals’ that resemble Pokémon, using them to battle, build bases, explore new areas, and fight enemies.
However, there’s a significant twist – players can equip Pals with weapons such as assault rifles, machine guns, and explosives to fight enormous beasts. The game even features mechanics allowing players to put their Pals to work in slave camps and mines. This unusual concept has garnered tremendous success in the gaming community.
Climbing the Ranks
Although data for Game Pass players isn’t available, it’s expected that millions are using the service to play Palworld. On Steam, the game has surpassed peak player counts of other popular games and has even come close to breaking records set by the likes of Dota 2.
No game in recent years has generated as much hype and energy in such a short time. Palworld has skyrocketed in value and popularity, even dominating streaming and content platforms with a peak viewer count of 430,000 on Twitch. The game’s unprecedented success in such a short time is truly mind-blowing.
