Palworld Can’t Rest on its Early Access Laurels in 2024

Few titles have taken the gaming world by surprise in Early Access like Pocket Pair’s Palworld did earlier this year. The reason behind its meteoric rise is simple; fans of the Pokemon universe have since longed for an open-world game that encapsulates the spirit of the franchise, and Palworld took advantage of where Pokemon Scarlet and Violet failed through its similar Pal-catching premise and a unique base-building twist. However, titles need to stay relevant long after the release hype dies down, and this holds even more weight for Palworld with the likes of Hades 2 and Life By You making their debut in 2024.

Before the start of the year, attention in the gaming sphere was focused on AAA-rated titles such as Helldivers 2 and Stellar Blade, and few saw an indie upstart taking the world by storm within the first three weeks of the calendar year. That was the case with Palworld, as it burst onto the scene and generated enough hype to draw even casual fans into the modernized “Pokemon with guns” universe. Unfortunately, that hype has died down considerably, as Palworld‘s player count on Steam has steadily dwindled since February. That trend may well continue as highly anticipated titles drop in the coming months, and this goes to show that Pocket Pair has to find innovative ways to keep Palworld fresh and relevant in the face of stiff competition.

Palworld Needs Innovation to Thrive in 2024

Hades 2 and Newer Early Access Titles Pose a Threat to Palworld

If there was one thing that was bound to be born in the wake of Baldur’s Gate 3‘s remarkable exploits last year, it was that more games would take the Early Access route in hopes of attaining similar levels of success. Palworld was one of only the first in a long list of titles that replicated Larian Studios’ formula, and Hades 2 has joined the party in recent weeks.

While there may be few — if any — points of intersection between Palworld and Hades 2 in terms of genre and gameplay, the Supergiant title is directly competing with Palworld in terms of hype, and more titles like Manor Lords have followed suit. Fading away from the consciousness of gamers is a concern for any developer, and it forms the basis for post-launch campaigns that are seen so often in the industry.

Having a successful launch is only half the battle these days, so Palworld shouldn’t rest on its laurels from the first days of its Early Access that saw it dominate player count charts, especially in light of recent happenings and the threat of newer titles coming out. The Early Access launch success is firmly in the past for Pocket Pair, but there are a few things the developer could improve upon to stay relevant despite the tough competition apart from new Pals and features.

Elements of Palworld’s Gameplay Could Use a Rework

For starters, Palworld‘s dungeons have acquired a reputation for being conspicuously empty and repetitive with underwhelming rewards, all while featuring performance issues that usually need reloading the game to solve. While it’s expected for an Early Access title to have a few holes in its overall offerings, the standard the likes of Valheim and Baldur’s Gate 3 have set in recent years demands much better from any new games making the rounds. Using ground mounts to speed through these portions can alleviate the monotone theme, but the quality of the chest items should be high on Pocket Pair’s list of priorities.

Additionally, interactions between the Pals and their elements could be improved to take Palworld to the next level. For instance, Water-element Pals swimming underwater would present a better aesthetic than seeing them floating on the surface as players currently experience, and capturing such creatures by fishing would play on the classic Pokemon mechanic. Palworld may have blazed past several milestones, but for the title to recapture its red-hot form at launch and compete with newer Early Access games, it needs to keep improving.