Palworld Developer Pocketpair Takes Firm Stance Against AI-Generated Games

Palworld studio Pocketpair won't publish games with AI - "we don't believe in it"

After the success of Palworld, Pocketpair launched a publishing arm earlier this year. Communications director and publishing manager John Buckley spoke to Game Developer at Gamescom Asia about the use of controversial technology. "People are going to say I'm lying, but these are just the hard facts," he said. "We don't believe in it. We're very upfront about it. If you're big on AI stuff or your game is Web3 or uses NFTs, there are lots of publishers out there [who'll talk to you], but we're not the right partner for that." Pocketpair has been falsely accused of using AI in its games, particularly due to the perceived similarity between its Pal monsters and the pocket monsters of Pokémon. Buckley admitted it's hard to quash such rumours, despite the company's stance against the technology. Recently, Pocketpair was accused on social media of using machine translation tools to localise Palworld for a handful of countries. Buckley said this was incorrect and based on an incomplete list of credits, but sometimes it's best to ignore social media noise. "You know, I can't just come out and start fighting with these people [who make the AI accusations] because that just fuels what's going on," said Buckley. "[Regarding the translation accusation], one of their biggest pieces of 'evidence' was that because we hadn't published the individual names of the translators it must be AI. Well, no, this is just poor Japanese culture in general. A lot of Japanese games, the credits will say localisation was handled by a company. "I'm not saying [that it is] right. It's unfortunate. We don't like it as much as anybody else. But it's how a lot of these companies want to operate." Following the accusations, Pocketpair acquired individual names from the localisation company used and updated the credits accordingly. "A lot of the people in that thread said 'we appreciate you taking the time' but of course there are still some people in that thread who say 'it's not enough, it's AI'," said Buckley. "That's when I feel there's nothing more we can do here. I can say 'it's not, we made it' and they can say 'it is, you didn't make it' and what are we going to do? Just go back and forth forever." AI is an ongoing hot topic in the industry - according to a report from Japan's Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association, organiser of the Tokyo Games Show, over half of Japanese game companies are using AI in development. Pocketpair published Dead Take from Tales of Kenzer developer Surgent Studios, which was released in the summer.

Palworld studio Pocketpair says its new publishing division won't handle games that use generative AI: 'We don't believe in it'

Pocketpair Publishing boss John Buckley says we're already starting to see a flood of 'really low-quality, AI-made games' on Steam and other storefronts. Palworld developer Pocketpair kicked off 2025 by launching a publishing division, and was immediately swamped with interest: It received more than 150 pitches for publishing deals in its first week alone. Pocketpair Publishing boss John Buckley said at the time that the new division "will respect the autonomy and vision of developers and work together to make great games for people all over the world," but it turns out that there is one kind of vision the company isn't interested in: The kind that relies on generative AI. "People are going to say I'm lying, but these are just the hard facts," Buckley said in a new interview with Game Developer. "We don't believe in it. We're very upfront about it. If you're big on AI stuff or your game is Web3 or uses NFTs, there are lots of publishers out there [who'll talk to you], but we're not the right partner for that." Buckley isn't laboring under the assumption that Pocketpair can stem the onrushing tide of AI-powered games, and predicted that the next few years will see a big uptick of "really low-quality, AI-made games," something he says is already happening on Steam. "It's something that has plagued other stores but Steam had been good at keeping them out. But it's happening," Buckley said. "This wave is coming, and I think we're going to enter this kind of authenticity market where people are going to slowly say 'no, these guys are really trying to make something special' to fight back." That, he thinks, will result in consumers trying to sus out which games are machine generated and which are made by actual humans, a process that will inevitably lead to some false positives and mistaken accusations. Pocketpair faced that unpleasant phenomenon back in 2024 when its breakout hit Palworld fell under the microscope: The studio repeatedly tried to convince people that it does not use generative AI in the game, but some just wouldn't believe it, and eventually Pocketpair had to let it drop. "You know, I can't just come out and start fighting with these people [who make the AI accusations] because that just fuels what's going on," Buckley said. To an extent, that resistance to explanations is understandable: Gamers have been wearing AI detective hats for years now, and accusations of generative AI usage quite often prove correct, even when companies forcefully deny it. In early 2024, for instance, Wizards of the Coast absolutely insisted that a Magic: The Gathering promotional image was made by humans -- until it eventually admitted that, whoops, it wasn't, even though the company had committed to not using AI-generated art several months earlier. But by June 2024 it was back on the sauce with a listing for a "principal AI engineer" job, who would be responsible for "systems for intelligent generation of text dialog, audio, art assets, NPC behaviours, and real time bot frameworks" -- even though it insisted that "our stance on AI hasn't changed."

Palworld publishing lead ramps up his crusade against AI games, says "you're huffing pure copium if you think this is going anywhere" and "games like Megabonk will continue to body this for the next 50 years"

I love that the Palworld dev, of all devs, is leading the charge against AI-generated games Despite Palworld itself having faced - and vehemently denied - allegations of AI, Palworld developer Pocketpair is taking a firm and sharp-worded stance against AI-generated games. Pocketpair Publishing boss John 'Bucky' Buckley recently waved the anti-AI flag to developers thinking of pitching him AI-generated games, and now he's reacting to a video going around of what appears to be a game created using AI. And wouldn't you know it, he's not a big fan. "I never understood this discussion," Bucky said in response to the video on Twitter. "Who is the audience? If you've played even one game then you've a rudimentary understand of games mechanics, so you know this absolute horseshit. "So who is this aimed at? Moms and dads who want interactive movies? I don't get it." The above video, in case you don't care to watch it, appears to demonstrate a third-person shooter set in New York City coded by HyperWrite CEO Matt Shumer. For me at least, it's immediately apparent that it's an AI game, nestled oh so snugly in that uncanny valley that characterizes all AI-generated art in the technology's current era. I sure as hell wouldn't play it, but it's hard to deny that even 2024 me would probably be pretty impressed. Still, Bucky isn't having any of it. "Am I out of touch? Has the industry already passed me by?" he continued. "I just don't get it. I think you're huffing pure copium if you think this is going anywhere. Games like Megabonk will continue to body this for the next 50 years. I say that with total confidence." Indeed, if there's one game to stand tall against the incoming tide of AI slop, it's Megabonk, the roguelike indie hit that came out of nowhere and charmed the world with its sunglasses-wearing chimp mascot. Or, you know, that other little primate-centric game, Donkey Kong Bananza.

Palworld dev's new publishing label isn't interested in AI slop: "If you're big on AI stuff ... we're not the right partner for that"

Pocketpair Publishing boss John Buckley says "we don't believe in" AI-generated games Pocketpair Publishing, the new publishing division created by Palworld developer Pocketpair, as you might've gleaned from the title, is getting ahead of developers inevitably pitching AI-generated games by making it clear the company isn't interested. "People are going to say I'm lying, but these are just the hard facts. We don't believe in it," Pocketpair Publishing boss John Buckley told Game Developer (h/t PC Gamer) "We're very upfront about it. If you're big on AI stuff or your game is Web3 or uses NFTs, there are lots of publishers out there [who'll talk to you], but we're not the right partner for that." Pocketpair's stance on AI-generated games aside, Buckley knows there's no stopping what's to come. "I think over the next two or three years we're going to get into this weird era -- and you can see it slowly happening now on Steam -- of really low quality, AI-made games. "It's something that has plagued other stores but Steam had been good at keeping them out. But it's happening. This wave is coming, and I think we're going to enter this kind of authenticity market where people are going to slowly say 'no, these guys are really trying to make something special' to fight back." It's worth noting that around launch, Palworld was repeatedly accused of using generative AI for its Pal designs, but the studio has vehemently denied this. More recently, it was accused of using machine translation to localize Palworld for various international markets. In this case, Buckley said it's best not to fan the flames by responding, but he cleared up the confusion around that situation regardless. "You know, I can't just come out and start fighting with these people [hurling AI accusations] because that just fuels what's going on," said Buckley. "[Regarding the machine translation accusation], one of their biggest pieces of 'evidence' was that because we hadn't published the individual names of the translators it must be AI. Well, no, this is just poor Japanese culture in general. A lot of Japanese games, the credits will say localization was handled by a company," Buckley said, adding, "I'm not saying [that it is] right. It's unfortunate." The harrowing reality is that AI games aren't just an inevitability - they're already here. And while they're easy enough to spot right now, it'll only get harder with advancements in AI. One can only hope storefronts and distributors will step up efforts to label them as such, thereby making it easier for all of us to sort out the trash from the legitimate, human-made games.

'If You're Big on AI Stuff Or Your Game is Web3 or uses NFTs, We're Not The Right Partner,' Says Palworld Publisher Pocketpair - IGN

"There are lots of publishers out there, but we're not the right partner for that." Palworld developer and publisher Pocketpair has confirmed it will not be publishing any games that feature NFTs, Web3, or "big AI stuff," revealing the company "doesn't believe" in them. In an interview with Game Developer, John "Bucky" Buckley, communications director and publishing manager for Pocketpair said: "People are going to say I'm lying, but these are just the hard facts. We don't believe in it. We're very upfront about it. If you're big on AI stuff or your game is Web3 or uses NFTs, there are lots of publishers out there [who'll talk to you], but we're not the right partner for that." "I think over the next two or three years we're going to get into this weird era -- and you can see it slowly happening now on Steam -- of really low quality, AI-made games," Buckley added. "It's something that has plagued other stores but Steam had been good at keeping them out. But it's happening. This wave is coming, and I think we're going to enter this kind of authenticity market where people are going to slowly say 'no, these guys are really trying to make something special' to fight back." Pocketpair is perhaps more sensitive than most when it comes to accusations about AI, not least because Palworld similarly faced claims it was "AI slop" and used generative AI, something the company vehemently denies and continues to challenge. "You know, I can't just come out and start fighting with these people [who make the AI accusations] because that just fuels what's going on," Buckley explained. "[Regarding the translation accusation], one of their biggest pieces of 'evidence' was that because we hadn't published the individual names of the translators it must be AI. Well, no, this is just poor Japanese culture in general. A lot of Japanese games, the credits will say localization was handled by a company." The use of AI in game development continues to be highly divisive, and for every fan of the emerging tech, you'll find someone fighting against it. Earlier today, we reported that Silent Hill series producer Motoi Okamoto similarly shirked AI, claiming "AI would never be able to make" a sequel like Silent Hill f. Conversely, Dead Space creator Glen Schofield recently unveiled plans to "fix" the industry in part via the use of generative AI in games development, and industry veteran and former Santa Monica Studio director, Meghan Morgan Juinio, said: "I think if we don't embrace [AI], I think we're selling ourselves short. AI is a tool, and something that will augment us. At least for right now, that's how I see it. It's going to evolve whether you're onboard with it or not, so I want to be at the forefront of helping to guide how that goes and how we use it." Epic Games boss Tim Sweeney believes small teams will soon be able to use AI prompts to make video games on the scale of Nintendo masterpiece The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. At the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in March, IGN sat down with Buckley to discuss number of Palworld's struggles, including Nintendo's patent infringement lawsuit against the studio.