Palworld CEO Flips Cloning Accusation on Other Competitors

The success of Palworld has certainly not been without its controversy, and now, a new twist in the tale is developing, courtesy of Takuro Mizobe, the CEO of PocketPair, the studio behind the smash hit.

Instead of being the ones that copied Pokémon, Mizobe has now pointed out that other companies are trying to ape the success of Palworld by following its formula instead. The game in question is Auroria, a mobile and PC title that is being developed in China.

As reported by Automaton, the CEO shared that “Tencent is already making a Palworld clone game! In China, many companies are simultaneously developing mobile clones of Palworld, and the budgets are in the 10 billion yen-range, 10 times larger than Palworld’s… Next year, we might see many Genshin Impact-level creature (or bishojo) raising games… These are incredible times.”

From the looks of things, the game does bear plenty of resemblance to Palworld, albeit with everything set in space instead of an Earth-like environment. With a release set for Q2 2024, it remains to be seen if it will garner the same kind of attention as its supposed inspiration.

For many, Pocketpair’s concerns are not going to hold water. It is clear the studio’s game takes much inspiration from the beloved Pokémon franchise, with certain aspects being a little too close for comfort to the monster-collecting juggernaut. That said, it has not stopped Palworld from posting record numbers.

Its January launch saw it become one of the most popular games on both PC and Xbox, with over 25 million players enjoying “Pokémon with guns” and earning the company massive profits along the way. The Pokémon Company, however, has also issued a statement about their intention to “investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to Pokémon.”

The plot thickens, and it is likely new developments are on the horizon. Who knew monsters can generate so much drama?

Jake Su Editor-in-Chief

Jake is a full-time trophy hunter and achievement gatherer on consoles, and a part-time Steam Sale victim. He has been writing about games for more than 15 years, covering news, previews, reviews, and guides, and can be found across continents and time zones to provide the key info gamers need to enjoy their games even more.

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