Palworld has seen its player base shift since its launch. While initial figures were astronomical, some have drawn attention to a perceived decline. This has been the cause of some discussion, which prompted a response from the developer, Pocketpair.
In a recent tweet, Pocketpair community manager Bucky addressed the “lazy” and “misleading” narrative surrounding Palworld’s player base. Bucky acknowledged the decrease in concurrent players since the game’s peak but emphasized the context. Palworld far exceeded initial expectations, selling 12 million copies on Steam alone and reaching a peak concurrent player count of 2.1 million, the second-highest in Steam history. Moreover, despite the decrease, Palworld currently sits comfortably as the third most-played game on Steam, indicating its continued popularity.
Bucky attributed the shift in player numbers to natural gaming habits. Players often move from game to game, and with no obligation to continuously churn out massive content updates, Palworld isn’t designed to hold everyone indefinitely. They encouraged players to explore other titles without feeling pressure and reiterated that new content, including PvP, raid bosses, new islands, and building system improvements, is in the works.
The statement also addressed future plans, including crossplay between Steam and Xbox and an ongoing recruitment drive to bolster the development team. This transparency signals an active commitment to addressing player concerns and expanding the game’s offering.
While the initial hype might have subsided, Palworld’s current state paints a different picture than the “lost player base” narrative suggests. I don’t know why anyone thought it would remain a game to play forever when there were no live updates. It was meant to be played from beginning to end. I stopped playing even though I love it, but like others, I will continue to return to it when they give it big updates. It’s still in Early Access, so reaching this point was incredible on its own.
