Palworld takes a new direction: When legalities destroy gameplay
Even though Pocketpair is currently struggling with a few problems: Palworld continues to be a massive success and the community remains absolutely loyal to the game. Upcoming and already implemented changes to the game mechanics are causing a reorientation in Palworld, but the adventure continues and Pocketpair is facing the problems with backbone and ideal solutions.
No throwing allowed in Palworld
What can you actually do when your game has become an unbelievable phenomenon and suddenly key game mechanics have to disappear? This is exactly the problem Pocketpair faced and still faces with their huge success Palworld. The Steam smash hit from 2024, with over 25 million players worldwide, is one of the most successful Early Access titles ever.
However, Palworld has changed noticeably since the end of 2024 and will continue to do so - and this has nothing to do with balancing or any game mechanics that don't work, but with legal proceedings that are still ongoing. In an official statement on X (formerly Twitter), Pocketpair spoke out on May 8, 2025 and clarified the background to the rather unusual changes. So far it has only been rumors, but Pocketpair has already made a major change with the patch v0.3.11 in November 2024: The previously common throwing of Pal Spheres at Pals was removed. Naturally, questions were already being asked at the time as to whether this was related to the similarities between Palworld and another well-known “buddy catching” game. Now it's official: Yes - these changes are related to the ongoing legal dispute.
Back down to earth - gliders instead of flying pal
Even with the latest Palworld patch v0.5.5, Pocketpair has to go one step further - or rather back. The popular feature in Palworld, where players can glide through the air with flying Pals and get a good overview or conduct strategic battles, is history. Instead, classic gliders must now be used.
The Pals in each player's team still have an influence on flight behavior, for example through passive bonuses, but they remain glued to the ground. Of course, Pocketpair also emphasizes that these changes have not been implemented lightly, but are necessary to ensure that nothing stands in the way of Palworld's further development.
The fanbase remains and takes it with humor
Despite all the trouble and the clearly noticeable adjustments, the Palworld community continues to support the game. On social media, the reaction is predominantly humorous, with a good dose of creativity and funny memes, but also with an incredible amount of understanding - this shows that Pocketpair has done a lot of things right so far.
The enthusiasm for Palworld continues unabated and this can also be seen in the current figures on Steam. Palworld is very far from closing its doors - instead, Pocketpair is adaptable, transparent and focused on further development. Through great interaction with the community, the developers are creating a trust that also creates an awareness that Pocketpair is still working hard on new content and that we can expect great updates for Palworld.
Palworld is evolving in its own way
Even if all these changes and the background to them are a source of discussion and Palworld sometimes faces problems for which original and suitable solutions are found, Palworld is certainly continuing to develop in its own way and we are more than excited to see what else is in store for us. If you haven't yet had a look at this wild mix of adventure, combat, farming and heroic Pals, now is the time!
