Pocketpair, the company behind the wildly successful monster-catching game Palworld, is expanding its reach by launching Pocketpair Publishing. The move is fueled by the impressive success of Palworld, which sold over 15 million copies within its first month on Steam, breaking records and generating substantial revenue.
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A New Platform for Indie Games
Pocketpair Publishing aims to provide indie developers and small studios with the resources they need to bring their creative visions to life. According to the company’s announcement, this initiative will offer funding, development assistance, and publishing support.
The publishing arm’s debut project is already on the horizon. Pocketpair Publishing is collaborating with Surgent Studios, the creators of Tales of Kenzera: Zau, to release a new horror game later this year. Founded by actor and voice performer Abubakar Salim, Surgent Studios faced financial hurdles after launching its afro-futuristic metroidvania Tales of Kenzera. The lack of funding forced the studio to scale back its games division—a challenge many indie developers have encountered amidst a tightening of resources across the gaming industry.
Challenges and Opportunities in the Indie Scene
The indie game industry has not been immune to the broader challenges affecting the gaming world, including layoffs and funding scarcity. Large publishers, historically a lifeline for smaller studios, have become more selective, often prioritizing projects with guaranteed commercial success. Even renowned indie supporters like Annapurna Games are grappling with sustainability.
Despite these challenges, new players like Pocketpair Publishing are emerging, inspired by alternative models of success. Similar to YouTube critic videogamedunkey’s Bigmode, which published the acclaimed Animal Well, and Innersloth’s Outersloth fund for indie games, Pocketpair is leveraging its success with Palworld to foster creativity in the indie space.
John Buckley, head of Pocketpair Publishing, shared the company’s vision: “Game development can be incredibly demanding. Our goal is to simplify that journey and create an environment where developers can focus on realizing their dreams.”
With Pocketpair Publishing, indie developers have a new ally ready to support their ambitions and navigate the evolving landscape of game development.
