Palworld struck a chord with gamers in January of this year, launching in early access to much acclaim, proving the doubters wrong to serve as more than just a cheap Pokémon knock-off, and breaking various Steam records as it surged in popularity.

Palworld took elements from Pokémon, Ark: Survival Evolved, and Breath Of The Wild. A lot of perceived 'knock-offs' tend to be easy to spot, with microtransactions and battle passes galore, but Palworld earned its positive reputation by side-stepping that model and offering a creature-taming survival hit like no other.

That said, recent rumblings hinted at whether the game should switch to a free-to-play model, allowing for additional content and a live-service model in which the game would evolve over time.

Luckily, the team's latest statement retracts these claims, saying Palworld will not go free-to-play, hinting that not every game needs to be a live-service.

Sure, creating and aggregating content over time allows a multiplayer game to adapt and grow alongside the ambitions of a modern player base.Fortnite fans want new maps, Destiny fans want more challenging raids, and COD fans want to dress like Nicki Minaj.

The profitable success of these games makes the live-service model appear insanely appealing to publishers and developers. But for games like Palworld that were launched at a flat rate, would switching make the experience better for fans?

Palworld’s proposed live-service model would have meant the streamlined content you’d expect from a free-to-play game. But if you’ve been watching statements from the developers of Palworld for a while, you’d know this was never the game’s purpose in the first place.

Sometime after the game was launched, Palworld was found to have lost some of its player base, leading to coverage that the game was “dying.” However, a statement from the developers in February went against this metric. Within it, they explain how:

There are so many amazing games out there to play; you don't need to feel guilty about hopping from game to game.

It feels like we’ve lost the simplicity many games are intended to bring. Besides the occasional live-service game, most games are actually meant to be played until the player feels completed.

For some games, completing it means reaching the end credits; for others, there can be a long post-game grind. But if it's a standalone product that largely comes complete from the day you purchase it, the developers don't need players to keep coming back.

Given these statements, it's clear Pocketpair will have more content for us in the future. Whether it's free content, DLC, or even a sequel, fans will love seeing what Pocketpair has in store.

Regardless, fan excitement doesn't need to be exploited in this industry, and we're happy to see a game avoid a live service and do its best to serve its fans in the best way it sees fit.

Posted: Sep 21, 2024 9:31 pm
Related Forum: Gaming Discussion

Source: https://www.dualshockers.com/palworld-wont-do-live-service/