Palworld, an action game often dubbed “Pokémon with guns,” achieved remarkable success, selling over one million copies within just eight hours of its launch on Jan. 19.
Developed by Pocketpair, the game swiftly ascended to the top of Valve’s Steam’s best-selling games list and secured a spot among the top four most-played games by concurrent players. At last check on Friday, Palworld surpassed PUBG, claiming the third position with 365,000 concurrent players.
It’s also enjoying an overwhelmingly favorable reception, earning a ‘very positive’ user rating, with 91% of the 4,605 feedback entries expressing satisfaction. Moreover, the title hit a peak of 370,128 concurrent players on the day of its launch.
However, the surge in player numbers overwhelmed Palworld’s servers, resulting in instability and potential connection issues. Pocketpair acknowledged the problem and assured players they were working to resolve it promptly. Some users reported success in connecting after multiple attempts or waiting post-launch.
“We are blown away with the response to Palworld, and we’re doing our best to respond to your issues!” the developer posted on X (previously Twitter). And added: “Currently, our server provider is reporting that due to the large amount of concurrent players, the servers have become unstable, and you may be experiencing issues connecting to servers.”
In the midst of Palworld’s successful launch, it is noteworthy that the Xbox version falls behind the Steam release in terms of functionality. The game, first featured in a 2021 trailer, intrigued audiences by blending adorable creatures called Pals with firearms in gameplay.
It introduces a capitalist and survivalist approach, enabling players to engage in activities like hunting, battling, selling, and even exploiting Pals, incorporating dark elements such as factory work.
Palworld’s unique concept and gameplay mechanics have captivated players worldwide, leading to its rapid success. With its adorable creatures and action-packed gameplay, it offers a fresh twist to the traditional Pokémon-inspired games.
As Pocketpair continues to address server issues and improve the Xbox version, players can expect even more exciting updates and features in the future. Palworld has certainly made a strong impact on the gaming community, and its continued success seems promising.
