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Palworld Dev Says Game Pass Is Great Amid Expedition 33 Sales Cannibalization DebateIn the wake of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 launching day on on Game Pass recently, some wondered if the game's 1 million sales figure could have been even higher had it not launched into the subscription service. This is not a new debate, as people have been discussing the economical merits of Game Pass for years, but Expedition 33 ( and Oblivion Remastered ) coming to Game Pass recently reignited the chatter. Palworld communications and publishing boss John "Bucky" Buckley weighed in on social media , writing that Expedition 33 is just the latest game to be "unwittingly dragged" through online discussions about Game Pass. Buckley said he has more knowledge than most on this topic given Palworld launched day one into Game Pass back in 2024 to great success. "I'll just say yes, yes it is very worth having your game on Game Pass," he said. In a follow-up post , the developer reminded people that he's speaking from the perspective of an independent game developer, so his comments should be understand from that context. Buckley said he has no experience in the AAA space and can't speak to "what sort of deals are cooked up there." But Buckley said Palworld developer Pocketpair has brought two games already to Game Pass--Palworld and Craftopia--and the studio is "very happy with both." "Subscriptions are certainly not THE future of gaming" Much of the discussion around Game Pass has centered on whether or not a subscription service like Game Pass could take over and become the dominant form of game consumption in the future. Circana analyst Mat Piscatella said he doesn't see that happening, at least not soon. He pointed out that spending on video game subscription services in the US experienced growth in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID and a little more at the end of 2024 thanks to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 coming to Game Pass. But in general, spending on subscription services has been "basically flat" lately. As such, Piscatella said, "Subscriptions are certainly not THE future of gaming (although they can continue to be part of it)." Not everyone is as optimistic about Game Pass as Buckley from Pocketpair when it comes to launching games into the service. Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick has said this kind of strategy for big new releases has never made sense, and instead represents a "lost opportunity" for a game sale. Take-Two might consider bringing older titles to Game Pass, like Take-Two recently did by bringing GTA 5 back to Game Pass , but for new releases, it doesn't make business sense for Take-Two, Zelnick said. Take-Two has one of the most highly anticipated games of all time, GTA 6 , coming up soon, and no one should expect it to come to Game Pass at launch or soon thereafter. Experts believe the game could sell 40 million copies and drive $3 billion in revenue in its first year alone , so it's not hard to understand why Take-Two wouldn't want to put the game into a subscription service out of the gate, or ever. Every company operates differently and has different goals in mind, and Take-Two's business approach doesn't have to line up with what other companies are doing. For example, Rebellion just recently launched Atomfall into Game Pass on day one, and it led to Atomfall experiencing the biggest debut for any game in Rebellion's 32-year history. A key thing to know here, however, is that Microsoft paid Rebellion for this , thus mitigating some of the cannibalization risk. Rebellion's own CEO said the company might have lost out on game sales by launching into Game Pass , but on balance, it was the right thing for his company in this particular situation. Even Microsoft itself has admitted games that launch into Game Pass are known to experience decreased game sales. This discussion and debate is not going to be resolved soon, or ever. Game Pass represents a paradigm shift in the gaming landscape , and was always going to elicit passionate responses from fans and pundits.

GameSpot - All ContentApr 28

Palworld fights Nintendo lawsuit by claiming Pokemon’s patents aren’t originalThe Palworld and Nintendo lawsuit isn’t slowing down, with Palworld claiming they’re not the only ones to copy Nintendo’s patent.

Dexerto Latest PostsApr 21

Palworld lawyers state existence of Titanfall 2, Ark, and even The Legend of Zelda invalidates Nintendo's patents Pocketpair has responded to Nintendo's legal action by asserting the patents The Pokémon Company believes Pocketpair has contravened are invalid due to other games that came before it, including Ark: Survival Evolved , Tomb Raider, and even Nintendo's own Legend of Zelda series. Read more

Eurogamer.net Latest Articles FeedApr 20

Palworld Studio’s CEO Would “Never Allow” an Acquisition – Communications DirectorThe CEO of Pocketpair might consider an acquisition when he's older, but Buckley believes that the company is too busy for it now.

Video Game News, Reviews, Walkthroughs And Guides | GamingBoltApr 10

Palworld Communications Director Says Developer Unlikely to Be Acquired: ‘Our CEO Would Never Allow It’Will Palworld developer Pocketpair ever get acquired? Ultimately, it’s up to its leadership, but when I asked communications director and publishing manager John ‘Bucky’ Buckley about it at the Game Developers Conference last month, he found the whole prospect of Pocketpair’s acquisition to be very, very unlikely.

IGN AllApr 10

Palworld Devs Aren't Fans of the 'Pokemon With Guns' MonikerWhat do you think of when you think of Palworld? Unfortunately for the folks who made it, the answer is pretty likely to immediately be, “Pokemon with guns.” But that was never the intended takeaway, says the game's communications director.

IGN AllApr 10

Palworld Communications Director Speaks on Generative AI Controversy, Online Struggles, and Why Palworld Is MisunderstoodAt the Game Developers Conference (GDC) last month, we sat down for an extended conversation with John “Bucky” Buckley, communications director and publishing manager for Palworld developer Pocketpair.

IGN AllApr 10

14 Games Like Genshin Impact To Lose Yourself In For 2025For those who enjoy getting lost in expansive fantasy worlds, games like Genshin Impact continue to amaze players who love the thrill of a good RPG. Thanks to its colorful cast of unlockable characters and vibrant art style, Genshin Impact left quite an impression on players when it originally launched back in 2020. With players particularly loving the premise of "here's a world, go explore"--combined with the fact it's free and has plenty to unlock--Genshin Impact has solidified itself as one of the best free gacha games to try right now. While it certainly wasn't the first game of its type, Genshin Impact has influenced games over the years thanks to its innovative approach to open-world design and gacha elements. Similarly, there are older titles that influenced it which are also certainly worth checking out. Below you'll find a selection of games we've picked that are like Genshin Impact, either because they adapt and evolve the game's core gacha mechanics or that they simply evoke a similar feeling or vibe. While you may always feel the draw of Teyvat calling you back, there are certainly plenty of other games that you should dip your toes into. Of course, be sure to also check out the best open-world games and best free games to play in 2025 too, if you want even more options to fill your backlog. Wuthering Waves Developer: Kuro Games Release Date: May 22, 2024 Platforms: iOS, Android, PC, PS5 Price: Free When Wuthering Waves was first released in 2024, it was able to capture a core of Genshin Impact players due to the similar gacha mechanics on show. After four years, Genshin Impact players were simply ready for a change in the formula, which is what makes Wuthering Waves' approach to combat so enticing. Intro and Outro skills gives it a little extra depth over Genshin's action, while being able to collect and use Echoes from defeated bosses makes overcoming each challenge feel all the more rewarding. As a result, it feels a lot more challenging to get to grips with early on, but it does make a refreshing change of pace for any players looking for a Genshin Impact alternative. See at Steam Honkai: Star Rail Developer: MiHoYo Release Date: April 26, 2023 Platforms: iOS, Android, PC, PS5 Price: Free We're probably not getting a real Genshin Impact sequel for quite some time, if ever. However, MiHoYo's Honkai: Star Rail has served as an excellent spiritual successor that does enough things differently to let both games sit cozily alongside one another. The grind feels a lot more forgiving, largely due to the auto-battle system and easier leveling. On the whole, menus feel a lot cleaner to navigate when compared to Genshin Impact, making it feel much more streamlined. Plus, Honkai: Star Rail swaps out real-time combat for turn-based, which makes it an excellent fit for mobile gaming. If your session is ever interrupted, such as losing internet connection or immediately needing to put your phone away, you'll have an easier time picking up exactly where you left off. We'd recommend Honkai: Star Rail to players who were put off by Genshin Impact's grind and leveling tedium. See at Hoyoverse The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom Developer: Nintendo Release Date: March 3, 2017 / May 12, 2023 Platforms: Wii U, Nintendo Switch Price: $69.99 Since not everyone may enjoy gacha systems, but may like other elements of Genshin Impact's gameplay, we'll throw in a few non-gacha games onto this list too. And one common comparison you'll see made to Genshin is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (and its sequel, Tears of the Kingdom). These two games are often compared to Genshin due to their similar world designs and emphasis on player freedom. Both also have similar ways of traversal, with running, climbing, gliding, and other mechanics drawing comparisons between both games. Some of the enemies in Genshin Impact even resemble those in Zelda. What sets them apart is how they tell their stories. Genshin is a lot more narrative-heavy, with lots of cutscenes and dialogue, while The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild prefers to throw you into its world and let you figure things out for yourself. Still, the inspiration here is clear, making Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom must-plays for any Genshin Impact fan. See at Amazon Persona 5 / Persona 5 Royal Developer: P-Studio Release Date: September 15, 2016 / October 31, 2019 Platforms: PC, PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch Price: $19.99 / $59.99 Genshin Impact's overarching story, multiple character arcs and unravelling mystery is one of its best features, and players wanting more of that kind of stuff should certainly check out the Persona series. More specifically, Persona 5 (or its expanded version Persona 5 Royal) would be the best one to start with. The anime art style combined with the developing relationships of the characters makes Persona 5 a decent Genshin alternative. Since it's a fully paid title, it also lacks gacha mechanics, which may be a plus to anyone who likes some aspects of Genshin Impact but has been turned off by the monetization model. See at Amazon Zenless Zone Zero Developer: MiHoYo Release Date: July 4, 2024 Platforms: iOS, Android, PC, PS5 Price: Free MiHoyo's Zenless Zone Zero is the most recent entry to the HoYoverse games. Like Persona, it's an urban fantasy with this cool analog retro aesthetic at its core. Compared to Genshin Impact, the story moves a lot faster and the game is far less concerned with having you grind through the same menial tasks over a long period of time. In fact, it's probably the best of the HoYoverse games to respect your time. While Genshin Impact players may miss the vibrant open world of Teyvat, Zenless Zone Zero's New Eridu is brimming with details and interesting narrative droplets that uncover as the story progresses. The pacing improvements also carry over into combat, where it's more about getting into the enemy's face and stylishly dealing as much damage as possible compared to Genshin Impact's more methodical open-world RPG approach. See at Hoyoverse Honkai Impact 3rd Developer: MiHoYo Release Date: October 14, 2016 Platforms: iOS, Android, PC Price: Free If Honkai Star Rail isn't to your tastes, we'd also recommend Honkai Impact 3rd as a fun Genshin Impact alternative. It's a more traditional RPG with gacha mechanics, and feels a lot faster-paced compared to Genshin. For starters, there isn't an open world for the first part of the game, adopting a more linear mission-based structure. The combat also has a more hack-and-slash style, with battles fought in tight arenas against larger powerful bosses. So there's less running around and getting sidetracked, and more time focusing on your immediate task using your available skills and team combinations. Thanks to the Part 2 expansion from 2024, the game has also received a more limited open world to explore once you hit the later parts of the story. We'd recommend checking it out if you played Honkai Impact 3rd in its early days or want a fresh break from Genshin Impact. See at Steam Tower of Fantasy Developer: Hotta Studio Release Date: 16 December 2021 Platforms: iOS, Android, PC, PS4, PS5 Price: Free What immediately sets Tower of Fantasy apart from Genshin Impact is it gives you the ability to create and customize your own character from the beginning, as opposed to giving you a roster of pre-determined characters. You can tweak your face, hair, clothing, and even body shape. This extends to the team building aspect too, where instead of swapping between characters in your squad during combat, you're actually swapping between their weapons. So the gacha system becomes more about collecting weapons than characters. Besides that, you'll find the action to be somewhere between Genshin Impact's open-world RPG combat and Honkai Impact 3rd's hack-and-slash style. Gacha players will be familiar with Tower of Fantasy's gameplay loop, but it's also probably one of the more distinct entries on this list due to how personalized the main playable character feels. See at Steam Palworld Developer: Pocketpair Release Date: January 19, 2024 Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS5 Price: $29.99 Another example of a non-gacha-style game that might appeal to Genshin Impact players, Palworld is an open-world survival game centered around collecting "Pals"--Pokemon-like creatures with their own unique traits and abilities. The visuals feel like something between Pokemon and Genshin Impact, and there are also more comparisons you can make to the HoYoverse. For starters, you can hatch eggs that contain random Pals, and these Pals can have positive or negative traits. The random-pull nature of this gives it a gacha-like quality, adding to the overall randomness of the game. While it's not completely gacha, since you can't use real currency to buy them, the similarities are there that we felt it was a necessary addition to this list. See at Steam Sky: Children of the Light Developer: Thatgamecompany Release Date: July 18, 2019 Platforms: iOS, Android, PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch Price: Free Known for its action-free titles that foster emotional responses in players, Thatgamecompany's Sky: Children of the Light is set in a fallen kingdom where players have to release ancient spirits so they can return home. Like Genshin Impact, there are multiple in-game currencies that make up the gacha elements, with each one corresponding to items, abilities, or gifts. There's also a huge social component here too, as Sky: Children of the Light lets you befriend other players and interact by sending them gifts. The game's mystery combined with its beautiful open world makes it a decent sidegrade for any Genshin Impact players who desire a more peaceful experience. While there might not be enough here to keep you playing for days upon days, it's fun to check in every so often to see the new seasonal content released for it. See at Steam Reverse: 1999 Developer: Bluepoch Release Date: May 31, 2023 Platforms: iOS, Android, PC Price: Free Like Genshin Impact, Reverse: 1999 is another free gacha game with an interesting story at the heart of it. With some top-notch writing and voice acting, the game has come through hard times following a rough launch plagued with performance and localization issues. Now, it's in a much better state. Don't expect it to be an open world like Genshin Impact, though, as each part of the narrative more or less takes place on these 2D stages which advance the story. However, the card-shuffling mechanics are an interesting addition to the genre, giving it a more relaxed and tactical feel. Just try to unlearn everything Genshin Impact has taught you, because min-maxing is less of a thing here. Instead, it rewards smart play and careful planning. See at Steam Xenoblade Chronicles Developer: Monolith Soft Release Date: 10 June 2010 Platforms: Nintendo Wii, 3DS, Switch Price: $59.99 We'd recommend Xenoblade Chronicles, or any of its sequels for that matter, to Genshin Impact players for the same reason we've recommended a few others on this list. Like Genshin, you explore this beautiful open world with some absolutely breathtaking locations, with the amount of freedom you'd come to expect from a modern action-RPG. Completing quests and going out of your way to explore the world feels extremely rewarding, as you're always encouraged to dig deep through these large environments for any interesting items or collectibles. While the series as a whole isn't in the gacha genre, it's worth noting that its sequel, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, has some gacha-like systems, where using Crystals to obtain randomly pulled Blades becomes a core focus of the experience. See at Amazon Granblue Fantasy: Relink Developer: Osaka Cygames Release Date: February 1, 2024 Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5 Price: $59.99 Granblue Fantasy: Relink moves away from the gacha systems that made up its earlier games, giving us a premium $60 experience with no characters or abilities locked behind a massive paywall. Unlike Genshin Impact, there are no strings attached here, so you buy once and can play through the full thing from start to finish. It'll take you about 20-25 hours to complete, so it's also not a huge timesink compared to other RPGs, and you certainly won't be sacrificing months of your life to it like you might with Genshin Impact. Considering the series' heavy gacha origins, Granblue Fantasy: Relink might be a good option for Genshin Impact players to check out. If Relink isn't your jam, there's always the original mobile game too. See at Amazon Infinity Nikki Developer: Papergames Release Date: 5 December 2024 Platforms: iOS, Android, PC, PS5 Price: Free For the fashion enthusiasts here, Infinity Nikki is all about dressing up and going on adventures. Like Genshin Impact, you'll be exploring a big open world with plenty of secrets and tasks to complete. Platforming and puzzle-solving is also a huge component, giving the game a lot of freedom in how you choose to play. Unlocking new outfits (either by finding outfits or obtaining them through the gacha system) will give you more abilities and upgrades, and these also come in handy during combat. Sometimes you'll be fighting actual monsters, or instead choosing the right outfit to take on an opponent in a "Stylist Duel." Infinity Nikki can certainly feel very grindy at times. You need to gather materials, craft outfits, and upgrade them. But it's also a great option for Genshin Impact fans who want to play a more fashion-oriented gacha game. See at Steam Metaphor: ReFantazio Developer: Studio Zero Release Date: October 11, 2024 Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S Price: $69.99 While Metaphor: ReFantazio is another premium JRPG with no gacha elements, the mystery and politics central to its plot is something Genshin Impact players may find enticing. With there being plenty of hidden secrets to find and dungeons to crawl, players who love exploring Teyvat in Genshin Impact may also find Metaphor's Euchronia equally interesting. After nearly a decade in the making, Studio Zero's designers clearly saw the creative art featured in games like Genshin Impact and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and let it inspire them. With its narrative and themes so cleverly interwoven with the rest of the game, it's one of the best RPGs we can recommend today, having received a rare 10/10 in GameSpot's review and being named our 2024 Game of the Year . See at Amazon

GameSpot - All ContentApr 7

The Best April Fools' Day Gaming Jokes Of 2025April 1 might just be one of the best days of the year, especially if you embrace the silliness of April Fool's Day. Video game developers and publishers have embraced the day, letting their metaphorical hair down to present weird and wild ideas for various games. In some cases, several joke game concepts have even been realized as full games, so while it pays to double-check what you see online today, you never know what the future might hold in store. We're taking a look at the best April Fool's jokes we've seen so far, and we'll be updating this list with new entries throughout the day, so if you need a quick laugh, you can check back here for some new jokes from the industry. Cult of the Lamb celebrates AI-pril Fool's Day "On second thought, maybe we should not have hired that marketing company I found in our spam folder to do the trailer," the Cult of the Lambs devs lamb-mented. Dave the Diver Remastered You might have to wait a bit for it--2049 to be precise--but at least you can look forward to Dave the Diver Remastered when it arrives on several consoles like the LS7, Ybox Series X|L, and Swhich. No, my cat did not walk across my keyboard while I was typing this. Helldivers 2 weapons are kind of big today We're pretty sure that the various weapons of Helldivers 2 aren't meant to be the size of SUVs, but maybe we're seeing things. "Rumors of Super Earth weapons changing sizes are considered Automaton propaganda and should be ignored. Anyone spreading such malicious lies should be reported to the Ministry of Truth," the Helldivers 2 social media account says. Palworld: More Than Just Pals Last year, PocketPair showed off Palworld: More Than Just Pals, an April Fool's joke for a visual-novel dating sim featuring several of its cute creations as possible romantic partners. That joke has been updated for 2025 with a detailed Steam hub and a new trailer, and the Palworld social media accounts have also announced a contest for a More Than Just Pals Lovander body pillow. At this rate, we wouldn't be surprised if this becomes a real game that is eventually released. PowerWash Simulator takes dual-wielding to the next level It's a scientific fact that dual-wielding improves everything, but the scientists at PowerWash Simulator were so preoccupied with whether or not they could introduce triple, quadruple, and more big number-wielding formats to their grime-fighting game, that they didn't stop to think if they should have done so in the first place. Razer takes on Gen Alpha with a brainrot-translator This isn't the first time that Razer has offered some fancy headgear, but the Skibidi headset might be its most ambitious project to date. While it looks like the protective gear you'd expect soldiers of a dystopian regime to wear, this is in fact a concept for an AI-powered "brainrot" translator that'll allow you to have a coherent conversation with Gen Alpha. Although, Razer did commit a cardinal sin by posting this joke a day early. Life Crossing: Fantasy Horizons revealed, but you can't have it When it comes to cozy life-simulator games, Fantasy Life and Animal Crossing are two of the biggest names in that genre. So you can only imagine how crushed fans of those franchises are going to be when they discover that this slick trailer produced by Level5 for Life Crossing: Fantasy Horizons is for a crossover that they'll never get to play. The Talos Principle: Reawakened now offers an effort-free experience Pondering the point of existence and the human condition is so 2014, and to combat this, Croteam has revealed new modes to help streamline The Talos Principle: Reawakened . Perhaps you've always dreamed of creating engaging puzzles, but you don't want to expend any effort in bringing your ideas to life. Maybe you'd prefer a wall of text to be replaced by a single emoji, or you crave background noise from Serious Sam games while you play through a level. Now that's a next-gen alpha gaming experience. Elgato introduces the Stream Deck Desk Elgato is known for its line of compact and easy-to-use Stream Decks, but if you'd rather your streaming setup looked like a NASA command center, you can outfit your entire desk in glorious buttons. Dbrand wants you to touch grass Touching grass is never a bad idea, but just in case you can't venture outdoors, Dbrand has a novel solution that involves astro-turfing all of your text. You can read more about this initiative on Dbrand's website , although it might also cause you to undergo an existential crisis. Venom can twerk now in Marvel Rivals Marvel Rivals is going to be really weird tonight when you find yourself cornered by a Venom who is driven to twerk. Delta Force will only recruit cat operators from now on Look, we don't make the rules, we just enforce them when they're convenient to us. And what if the rules require adorable cats to start replacing inferior humans in Delta Force ? Well, so be it then. A whole bunch of stuff in Goddess of Victory: Nikke Goddess of Victory: Nikke normally goes all out for April Fool's Day, and this year is no exception. From a slick trailer for a movie that we really want to see released in 2050 to disturbing new collectibles and in-game events, no effort has been spared by developer Shift Up. Minecraft goes big with the Craftmine update Minecraft players have crafted tools, homes, and entire worlds, but what if they could craft their own mines? Enter the Craftmine update , which will allow players to create their very own subterranean wonders that happen to be full of rich mineral deposits. Konami is selling a "Silent Hill 2-inspired" pillow Okay Konami, that's a bit dark. On the other hand, if you don't mind parting with $50, you'll get a "hauntingly comfortable tribute" that features a hidden message that glows in the dark. "You can actually pre-order it. But only for 7 days. After that, it vanishes into the fog forever," the official site listing explains . Miles "Tails" Prower changes his name Sonic's longtime friend Miles "Tails" Prower is making some changes. Sega announced that Tails has decided to move to Europe, and as such, his new name will be Kilometres Prower. It is about now that you may be realizing his name has been a pun for more than three decades. World of Warcraft outdoes itself Blizzard is well known for its yearly April Fools' Day jokes, and it had several great ones as part of the latest " patch notes " for World of Warcraft. A new raid called The Deeper Cave Below the Bottom promises zero light outside of casting spells, while a shorter dungeon isn't that much shorter, as it takes place at the Undermine DMV. The new "War Couples" system will let you and another player get big bonuses while in a party, even if (or especially if) you leave the party early.

GameSpot - All ContentApr 1

Palworld Developer Started Getting Game Pitches Minutes After Game’s SuccessThe Pocketpair publishing manager and communications director believes that the gaming industry doesn't have money right now.

Video Game News, Reviews, Walkthroughs And Guides | GamingBoltApr 1