With Palworld 1.0 now officially released, Pocketpair is already looking toward the future of its hit survival game. While the studio isn’t ready to announce its next crossover, Head of Publishing & Communications John “Bucky” Buckley has revealed the games the team would most like to collaborate with—and why those partnerships can only happen if they naturally fit into Palworld’s world.
Speaking in an interview with Game8, Buckley explained that ARK: Survival Evolved, No Man’s Sky, and Enshrouded are among the team’s dream collaboration partners. However, he emphasized that enthusiasm alone isn’t enough, as every crossover has to feel authentic rather than forced.
Pocketpair names its ideal crossover partners
Following the success of the massive Tides of Terraria collaboration, many fans have wondered what franchise could join Palworld next. Buckley confirmed that the team has discussed several possibilities over the years but said implementing them is far more complicated than players might expect.
He revealed that ARK remains one of Pocketpair’s favorite candidates.
“We’d love to work with ARK if that ever came around. We’re very close to those guys,”
Buckley said, noting that the two studios have already worked together on a bundle. Even so, he acknowledged that bringing dinosaurs into Palworld in a meaningful way would require careful planning.
When discussing Enshrouded and No Man’s Sky, Buckley made it clear that the studio’s biggest priority is preserving Palworld’s identity.
“If we could make it make sense, we would do it tomorrow,”
he said, explaining that the team won’t pursue collaborations simply because they’re popular. Instead, every crossover must complement Palworld’s survival-focused gameplay and universe.
Why another Terraria-sized collaboration is unlikely
Buckley also revealed that collaborations were never part of Palworld’s original roadmap. The Terraria partnership happened organically after conversations between the two studios, eventually becoming one of the biggest updates during the game’s Early Access period.
Despite its success, the scale of that project makes similar collaborations difficult to repeat. According to Buckley, the Terraria crossover required roughly half a year of development, making it one of the studio’s largest undertakings.
Because of that investment, Pocketpair is unlikely to produce another collaboration of the same size in the near future.
“I think it’s fair to say we probably won’t do a Terraria-sized one again,”
Buckley explained, though he added that smaller crossover events remain a possibility after the launch of Palworld 1.0.
Palworld’s future extends beyond the main game
Beyond collaborations, Buckley said Pocketpair is continuing to expand the Palworld universe through multiple projects. The studio is already developing spin-offs such as Palfarm, Palworld Mobile, the Palworld Official Card Game, and the visual novel More Than Just Pals, while additional unannounced projects are also in development.
Buckley stressed that the future of the franchise will continue to be shaped by player interest. Reflecting on Palworld’s journey from Early Access to Version 1.0, he said,
“It’s crazy to think what the game was versus what the game is now, and it’s, I would say genuinely 90% because that’s what the players wanted.”
Although ARK, No Man’s Sky, and Enshrouded remain dream collaborations rather than confirmed projects, Pocketpair’s comments suggest the studio is actively considering new ways to grow the Palworld universe—provided every addition feels like a natural fit.
| Platforms | Microsoft Windows |
|---|---|
| Developer | Pocketpair |
