Pocketpair, the studio behind Palworld, has made a clear decision to steer away from publishing games that incorporate AI, Web3 technologies, or NFTs, as they do not endorse these methods. Following the success of Palworld, the company launched its publishing division earlier this year. In an interview at Gamescom Asia, John Buckley, the communications director and head of publishing, expressed his firm stance on this controversial technology.

He stated, “It might sound unbelievable, but we just don’t support it. We are completely transparent about our position. If your game revolves around AI, Web3, or utilizes NFTs, you might want to seek out other publishers, as we are not suited for that.”

Despite misconceptions surrounding the use of AI in their products—mainly due to the similarities between their Pal creatures and the Pokémon franchise—Buckley emphasized the difficulty in dispelling such rumors. He addressed recent accusations on social media claiming that Palworld was localized using machine translation tools, clarifying that this claim stemmed from an incomplete credits list. He noted that in Japanese culture, game credits often list localization firms rather than individual translators, which can lead to misunderstandings.

Buckley commented, “Some folks cited as proof that we employed AI since we hadn’t named specific translators. However, this is a common practice in the Japanese industry. It’s not the best approach, and we share everyone’s frustration about it, but that’s just how many companies operate.”

In response to the backlash, Pocketpair worked to obtain and include the names of the localization team in the credit roll. Buckley mentioned, “Many people appreciated our efforts to clarify things, yet some persist with claims that it’s all AI. At this point, there’s little more we can do. I can assert our case, and they can counter it endlessly.”

The topic of AI remains contentious within the gaming industry. A recent report from Japan’s Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association indicated that a considerable number of Japanese developers are integrating AI technologies into their projects.

Recently, Pocketpair published Dead Take from the developer Surgent Studios, which launched over the summer. They are now focusing on refining any issues recognized in Palworld as they aim for a complete 1.0 version to be released in 2026, amidst an ongoing legal dispute with Nintendo.