When you think of Palworld, the phrase "Pokemon with guns" might immediately come to mind. This shorthand became popular when the game first surged in popularity, largely due to the unique blend of seemingly disparate concepts. Even we at IGN used this phrase, as did many others, making it an easy and effective way to describe the game to newcomers.

However, according to Pocketpair's communications director and publishing manager, John 'Bucky' Buckley, the "Pokemon with guns" label was never the intended takeaway. In fact, Buckley expressed during a talk at the Game Developers Conference that Pocketpair isn't particularly fond of this moniker. He recounted the game's initial reveal at the Indie Live Expo in Japan in June 2021, which received a warm reception. Yet, when Western media caught wind of it, the game was quickly labeled as a "certain franchise" plus guns, a tag that has persisted despite efforts to move away from it.

In an interview following his talk, Buckley elaborated on this point. He clarified that Pokemon was not part of the original pitch for Palworld. While the development team includes fans of Pokemon and recognized the similarities in monster collecting, their inspiration was more aligned with ARK: Survival Evolved. Buckley mentioned that many team members are fans of ARK, and their previous game, Craftopia, incorporated elements they loved from ARK. The goal was to expand on this, focusing on automation and giving each creature unique personalities and abilities. However, the "Pokemon with guns" label emerged after the first trailer was released, much to the team's chagrin.

Buckley acknowledged that the "Pokemon with guns" label did contribute to Palworld's success. He noted that Dave Oshry from New Blood Interactive even trademarked the website "Pokemonwithguns.com," which further fueled the game's viral spread. Yet, Buckley expressed some frustration that some people believe the game is exactly what the label suggests without playing it. He encourages players to give the game a chance and experience it for themselves before forming an opinion.

Buckley also dismissed the notion that Pokemon is a significant competitor to Palworld, suggesting that the audiences for the two games do not significantly overlap. Instead, he sees ARK as a closer comparison, but he doesn't view Palworld as directly competing with any specific game. He critiqued the concept of "console wars" and competition in gaming, suggesting that it's often a manufactured narrative for marketing purposes. In his view, the real competition is more about timing of releases rather than direct competition between games.

If Buckley could choose a different tagline for Palworld, he humorously suggested, "Palworld: It's Kind of Like ARK if ARK Met Factorio and Happy Tree Friends." He admits, though, that this doesn't roll off the tongue as easily as the original label.

Buckley and I also discussed the potential for Palworld to come to the Nintendo Switch 2, the possibility of Pocketpair being acquired, and more in our full interview, which you can read here.