Palworld Developer Acknowledges Team’s Struggles with Online Negativity: “Some People Seem to Make Ranting Their Job”

John ‘Bucky’ Buckley, the head of publishing and communications at Pocketpair, has acknowledged that the negativity directed at Palworld can sometimes affect the team.

Palworld has surprisingly reached its two-year mark, and while it remains in early access, it has already given rise to a dating sim spinoff and an upcoming farming game spinoff. Most notably, PocketPair has evolved into a full-fledged publisher. However, the game continues to face comparisons to Pokémon, leading to accusations of being a clone and even legal disputes with the franchise’s owners.

In a conversation, Bucky shared, “Palworld is lucky to have a large and active community, but that also means we attract a fair share of critics who seize every chance to take shots at it.” He clarified, “I’m not referring to those who simply don’t enjoy Palworld—that’s completely valid. But like any popular game, there’s a segment of people who seem to make it their mission to complain about it constantly.”

Despite the ongoing criticism, Bucky noted, “The influence of these detractors is essentially negligible, but we’re only human, and sometimes we can get caught up in that negativity.”

He emphasized the importance of “learning to ignore the performative drama and concentrate on our community,” expressing optimism about his progress in this area.