Palworld Reaches 32 Million Players in First Year Despite Ongoing Nintendo Lawsuit

The Pokémon-inspired survival game continues its growth across platforms while facing legal challenges over alleged patent infringement.

Palworld, developed by Japanese studio Pocketpair, has surpassed 32 million players across Steam, Xbox, and PS5 since its Early Access release in January 2024.
The game combines survival-crafting mechanics with creature collection, drawing comparisons to Pokémon but adding unique features like equipping creatures with gear and assigning them tasks.
Pocketpair is currently facing a lawsuit from Nintendo and The Pokémon Company, alleging patent infringement and seeking damages as well as an injunction on the game.
Palworld's roadmap for its second year includes updates such as co-op crossplay, new endgame content, and additional creatures, with the game still in Early Access and Game Preview stages.
The game achieved record-breaking sales and player counts early after launch, including over two million concurrent players on Steam, making it one of the platform's most-played games.