An experience not bogged down by "brand safety"
Exactly. What I have seen from this game seems off-putting and distasteful for a universe ostensibly designed for children. I also do not buy into the Pokemon should grow up with its audience argument. There is another generation of children growing up, after all.
I guess it's distasteful how the game doesn't sweep the slavery aspect under the rug, but that doesn't make the original IP any less problematic
- Chinese developer with huge home audience
You get the evidence just by looking at what language people use in the reviews: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1623730/Palworld/#app_rev...
- The gimmick: Pokemon with Guns
- FOMO thanks to the press attention
The biggest reason:
- Base Building Survival game
At it's root it's a survival game, that genre is nothing new and is a hit maker, just look at the popularity of games like Ark and the upcoming Ark 2
And just recently: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1326470/Sons_Of_The_Fores...
People's hatred for Nintendo makes them loose sight, nobody will buy "Palworld" plushies or movies
Palworld is the RC cola of the game Pokemon fans have been wanting.
Edit: From another angle: what is it about palworld that couldn't have been delivered by a Pokemon(tm) game had Nintendo et al not been asleep at the wheel? (Costing them, so far, hundreds of millions USD)