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Poketpair Lead Says Survival Games Have “Really Found Their Stride,” Citing Palworld, Dune: Awakening and Valheim 1.0 as Standouts
The survival game genre has become increasingly varied, and Pocketpair’s publishing and communications head John “Bucky” Buckley believes it has finally moved beyond a period dominated by forgettable releases. In a recent post on X, Buckley highlighted several successful survival titles while arguing that the genre has reached a stronger position than in previous years. “What a year for survival gaming,” Buckley wrote, before pointing to games including Valheim, RuneScape: Dragonwilds, Enshrouded, Dune: Awakening, Core Keeper and Terraria. He added…
Palworld and Valheim Lead Steam’s Best-Rated 2026 Games as Six Early Access Graduates Enter the Top 10
Early Access remains one of the most debated ways to release a game, but Steam’s best-rated releases of 2026 provide another argument for the model. According to Steam250, six of the platform’s current top 10 highest-rated games of the year are titles that spent time in Early Access before reaching their full 1.0 launches. The list is led by Palworld and Valheim, which occupy the first two positions in Steam250’s current Best of 2026 ranking. Other Early Access graduates in…
Palworld Official Card Game Reveals Legendary Pals for Legends Awaken, Including New One-Per-Name Base Rule
The Palworld Official Card Game is preparing to expand its card pool with Legends Awaken, and Bushiroad has now revealed one of the set’s major new mechanics. The second booster pack will introduce Legendary Pals, giving some of the game’s strongest creatures a special status that affects how many copies players can have in play. According to the Palworld Official Card Game, Legends Awaken is scheduled to launch on October 30, 2026, with 100 card types plus parallel cards. Bushiroad…
Pocketpair Says Cattiva Was Expected to “Fade Into the Background” Before Becoming a Palworld Mascot
When Palworld launched, Pocketpair had plenty of unusual creatures competing for players’ attention. However, not every Pal that looked memorable to the developers was expected to become a fan favorite. According to Pocketpair head of communications and publishing John “Bucky” Buckley, Cattiva was one character he never expected to become especially popular. Speaking with Gaming World Interviews, Buckley discussed which Pals surprised him most after Palworld became a global success. He emphasized that his comments represented his personal opinion rather…
Pocketpair Lead Says Palfarm Won’t Be “Palworld Stardew Valley,” Reveals It Will Be Less Violent and More Cozy
When Pocketpair revealed Palworld: Palfarm, comparisons to Stardew Valley were almost inevitable. However, Pocketpair’s publishing and communications lead John “Bucky” Buckley says players should not expect the upcoming farming simulation to simply replicate the popular farming formula with Pals added to it. During a Gamescom 2026 interview with Gaming World Interviews, Buckley specifically pushed back against the idea that Palfarm is essentially “Palworld Stardew Valley.” He explained that the upcoming spin-off is taking a somewhat different direction while offering a…
Pocketpair Lead Says Palworld Has Hundreds of Scrapped Pal Designs, But Sekhmet Was the Fastest To Go From Concept to Game
Palworld’s roster may now feature more than 200 unique Pals, but Pocketpair has created far more creatures than players have actually encountered. During a Gamescom 2026 interview with Gaming World Interviews, Pocketpair head of publishing and communications John “Bucky” Buckley explained that the studio maintains an internal “graveyard” containing hundreds of unused Pal concepts. The revelation offers a look into how Pocketpair develops the creatures that form the foundation of Palworld. While many concepts are discarded during development, one particular…