Pocketpair Head of Publishing Says Palworld 1.0 Succeeded by Bringing Back Inactive Players

Pocketpair head of publishing and communications John Buckley has shared how the studio approached the launch of Palworld 1.0, revealing that one of its biggest priorities was convincing former players to return.

Speaking during CGDC at ChinaJoy 2026, Buckley explained that the team focused less on attracting entirely new audiences and more on demonstrating how much the game had evolved since its Early Access debut.

Pocketpair built its 1.0 launch around returning players

Following Palworld’s record-breaking Early Access release, Pocketpair spent the next two years delivering six major content updates. Buckley said the studio developed three core strategies before launching version 1.0, with the first centered on bringing back inactive players from 2024 by showcasing the game’s new features and improvements.

The company also contacted creators who had previously streamed or produced content about Palworld, encouraging them to revisit the game. At the same time, Pocketpair maintained daily social media campaigns featuring new Pals, gameplay additions, and fresh regions to build anticipation ahead of release.

Buckley highlighted the company’s success on BiliBili, where consistent short-form content gradually gained momentum.

“If you just keep doing it, keep talking about it … it just starts taking over.”

John Buckley discussed Palworld’s journey to version 1.0 during CGDC at ChinaJoy 2026. (Image via Pocketpair)

Version 1.0 delivered a strong response

The strategy paid off when Palworld 1.0 launched on July 10, 2026, reaching 900,000 concurrent players and earning a 93.45% positive Steam rating from more than 443,000 reviews.

According to Buckley, the studio also learned to ignore negative headlines about declining player counts after Early Access and instead focus on its growing community.

“We had to stop thinking about the media.”

Buckley added that Pocketpair’s long-term philosophy is to create games developers genuinely want to make rather than following industry trends.

“Don’t worry about trends, what’s popular.”

During the Q&A, Buckley also confirmed that Palworld was developed without generative AI, said the Palworld Mobile release is expected “soon,” and reiterated that Pocketpair takes inspiration from other games but is “not in the business” of copying designs or ideas.