(Image credit: Pocketpair)
Pocketpair has been gearing up for a transformative journey, transitioning from the renowned Palworld developer to a full-fledged game publisher over the past few months, unveiling its first venture discreetly.
This transformation crystallized when Pocketpair Publishing emerged this year, announcing a pivotal collaboration with Surgent Studios. The team behind the underrated Metroidvania Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is gearing up to create a fresh horror game, fueled by the tremendous success of Palworld.
Although the division is yet to formally unveil a new title, John ‘Bucky’ Buckley, the communications director and publishing manager, shared with GamesRadar+ that they “secretly” showcased a signed game at the Game Developer’s Conference earlier this month without any branding.
“We chose not to label it with our name, curious to gauge the reaction,” Buckley explained. “The feedback was tremendously upbeat, so we’re thrilled to eventually reveal, ‘Yes, that was our creation.’” This is merely one of the quiet moves Pocketpair Publishing has been making, with partnerships taking shape behind closed doors since last summer.
Buckley further mentioned, “The game presented here is unlike anything we’ve previously tackled.” He referred to the upcoming project with Surgent Studios as an eccentric little horror venture. “It’s more of a compact and unique horror experience, poised to surprise and captivate. The quality and essence of the game will likely spark discussions on how remarkable games can be produced affordably. These projects are distinct from everything we’ve done so far, setting a new precedent,” he added.
According to Buckley, we should anticipate the debut of Pocketpair Publishing’s initial lineup soon, with Buckley admitting he felt “nervous” about the forthcoming announcements.
In the realm of console gaming, it has been confirmed that Palworld won’t make its way to the Switch due to its extensive scope; however, Pocketpair considers Switch 2 to be “100% worth considering” for future developments.