A video game called “Pokémon with Guns” is causing a sensation

Europe 1 with AFP // Photo credits: Chris DELMAS / AFP 10:30 a.m., January 23, 2024

A survival and combat game with Pokémon, where we can see Pikachu with a machine gun, released Friday on the online gaming platform Steam, mixes avatars of players wielding weapons with monsters that closely resemble those of the Nintendo game "Pokémon".

PocketPair, the studio that created the game, said Monday on X that it had sold more than 5 million copies in just three days.

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"Most people, myself included, thought this game was going to be a meme" (humorous parody), reads a review left on Steam by the developer Pirate Software.

"But actually, it's incredibly detailed, really well designed and super captivating."

Another player said he was "blown away" by Palworld, saying the game has enough potential to become "legendary."

Palworld is available in a test version on Steam, for $27, and the Japanese studio continues to develop it with the help of player feedback.

The game features more than 100 different characters called "Pals" that players can capture and turn into allies for their in-game adventures, according to the publisher.

The description further states that users can fight with weapons ranging from classic bows and spears to assault rifles and rocket launchers.

Players have the option to team up or compete against each other, and even steal items.

"Death threats"

The success of Palworld is "an absolute surprise, even for connoisseurs" of the gaming industry, commented analyst Serkan Toto of the Tokyo firm Kantan Games, interviewed by AFP.

"And I'm 100% sure that even the studio didn't know it was going to 'blow up' like that."

This happens "once in several years in the gaming world. But would anyone have been interested in this game if its characters weren't like Pokémon? The answer is probably no," Serkan Toto added.

On social networks, the studio behind the game has been accused since its announcement of having copied Pokémon characters.

"It's a PURE AND SIMPLE copy," said one X user. "Another copied design, shame on you Palworld," commented another. Some defended it instead. "Pokémon fans, who are in angry with this game and demand that it be banned for one reason or another, should instead blame Nintendo for missing out on a market that has been untapped for years," reads a comment on X. " "It shows how much PC gamers wanted a Pokémon game on PC."

The head of the PocketPair studio, Takuro Mizobe, reported on X that he had received "defamatory" messages on social networks against creative people and sometimes even "close to death threats".

“I would appreciate it if you would refrain from slandering the artists who worked on Palworld,” he added.