Palworld 1.0 Release Scheduled for 2026; PocketPair to Prioritize Game Polishing Throughout 2025

PocketPair Announces Plans for Palworld 1.0 Release

In a recent video announcement, PocketPair revealed its intentions to launch the highly anticipated Palworld 1.0 next year. The development team will concentrate on refining the game throughout 2025, indicating that significant updates to the early access version will be limited during this period.

Focus on Clean-Up and Enhancements

Bucky, the Communications Director and Publishing Manager, shared insights into the current state and future of Palworld. He emphasized the need to make critical decisions about the game’s trajectory:

“We’ve reached a crossroads and need to decide what comes next. While we have a lot of ideas for where we want to take Palworld, we also need to start thinking about 1.0. Beyond just adding new content, there’s a lot of cleanup that needs to be done before Palworld can exit early access. It’s no secret that it has a lot of quirks and jank, and we want to take the time to properly address those before releasing the game. With that in mind, we plan to start that cleanup this year. Our goal is to ultimately release Palworld next year in 2026. And we think taking the time now to fix those problems will ultimately lead to a better game.”

This emphasis on thorough preparation suggests that while updates may slow, the team remains committed to enhancing the player experience. Bucky reassured fans that the upcoming winter update will feature some surprises, even though it might not match the scale of previous updates like Feybreak.

Commitment to Quality Over Speed

PocketPair’s strategic focus on improving Palworld aligns with a broader vision for quality. Bucky noted:

“It is not slowing down or scaling back; quite the opposite. Version 1.0 will be a major milestone for us, and we have a truly massive amount of content planned for the 1.0 update. Rather than rushing it, we believe that laying the right foundation now will lead to a better game in the end.”

Expanding Horizons Beyond Palworld

In addition to refining Palworld, PocketPair is engaging in initiatives to support emerging developers and explore new gaming concepts for future projects. Despite these efforts, Palworld remains at the forefront of the company’s endeavors, particularly in light of its remarkable success since its early 2024 launch. The action-packed monster taming game has set records, achieving third place on Steam’s all-time concurrent player chart with an impressive peak of 2.1 million players, trailing only Black Myth: Wukong and PUBG. Furthermore, Palworld has amassed over 32 million players across various platforms as of earlier this year.

Ongoing Legal Challenges

Meanwhile, PocketPair faces legal challenges, specifically a lawsuit from Nintendo initiated nearly a year ago, alleging patent infringement. While the company is actively contesting the lawsuit in court, it has been compelled to implement modifications to the game in response to the situation.

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