Palworld maker Pocketpair has established a new publishing division it says will provide developers with as much support as they need “without overstepping.”
Pocketpair Publishing will offer funding opportunities, development assistance, and publishing support. The nascent publisher is looking to partner with “indie developers and small studios.”
It has already agreed to provide development and financial support to Surgent Studios so the Tales of Kenzara developer can “realize its full potential.” The news comes months after Surgent announced layoffs before eventually going on hiatus while it searched for potential funding partners.
Surgent CEO Abubakar Salim explained the UK studio now intends to make a “short and weird” horror title with backing from Pocketpair.
Discussing Pocketpair Publishing’s broader ambitions, division head John Buckley said the company wants to help developers “pursue their dreams.”
“At Pocketpair, there is nothing we love more than games, and Pocketpair Publishing is our latest venture to help the world enjoy gaming even more,” he added. “Game development comes with many challenges, but we want to ease that process as much as possible and provide an environment where creators can pursue their dreams.”
Pocketpair has expanded significantly after its monster-catching survival shooter Palworld became a breakout hit. The title had attracted over 25 million players as of February 2024, putting the Japanese studio on the map.
That success enabled the company to form Palworld Entertainment in partnership with Sony Music and Aniplex. The joint venture is attempting to “expand and develop new businesses associated with the hit game.”
Pocketpair also caught the eye of Nintendo and The Pokemon Company, which last year sued the studio over allegations of patent infringement in relation to Palworld.
Palworld has colloquially become known as ‘Pokemon with guns,’ but it’s unclear which specific patents Nintendo and The Pokemon Company feel the title has infringed upon.