Today, Palworld is a staple and well-liked part of the gaming world and a phenomenon that proves "Pokémon with guns" wasn't just a passing fad. It's played frequently and has been steadily expanded since its launch two years ago. That's why it's easy to forget that it's still just an Early Access title.
However, the full version is scheduled for release in 2026, and one can certainly imagine it becoming a live service title that will continue for the next ten years. At least. But... that doesn't seem to be the future developer Pocketpair envisions. In a GamesRadar interview, the studio's publishing head John Buckley says this:
"A lot of our hardcore fans and players would love for Palworld to be this No Man's Sky situation where it's like a decade of continuous, massive updates. But realistically, that's probably not on the cards for Palworld, not only because of engine limitations, but also, it's a survival crafting game. I think there's only so many times you can add five levels, add 10 levels, until it gets to this massive bloat point."
Instead of just continuing to churn out minor updates that will inevitably cause the audience to grow tired of the game over time, Pocketpair seems more interested in eventually releasing a full-fledged sequel:
"Even World of Warcraft had that stat squish years and years ago. Palworld is linear progression. I think if Palworld didn't have that progression, you could do it forever like No Man's Sky. But it's gonna have to stop at some point, and then we can think about what comes after, and that's exciting for us.
"I wouldn't rule out a Palworld 2.0. It really depends on what we can do with the game at the moment, how we can expand it without it feeling boring. Not only boring, but how we can expand it while also being approachable."
This doesn't seem like something he just blurted out on the fly either; on the contrary, it appears to be something the studio has actually been considering, and Buckley says this regarding why they can't just keep expanding:
"How much more can you stretch that until it gets to the point where more casual players feel like it's a chore? That's where it gets tricky with 2.0. And we get into the big debate of, do you continue to expand Palworld and find a way to mitigate those problems? Or do you start thinking about - I won't say the word because I don't want to speak it into existence - something beyond Palworld?"
What do you think? Would it be best if Pocketpair continued to raise the level cap and add new content, or is it better to eventually actually create something new? Also, is it a good idea to start talking about Palworld 2.0 before they've even released Palworld 1.0?