Palworld, which caused a sensation in the indie game scene, has finally revealed its plans for an official launch.

Developer Pocketpair announced on the 16th via its Steam page and other official channels that the 1.0 version of Palworld is scheduled for an official release in 2026.

Palworld is an open-world survival game by Pocketpair that launched in January 2024. The core of the game involves collecting 'Pals,' mysterious creatures that inhabit the world, and utilizing them for various activities such as combat, construction, daily life, and agriculture to explore a wider world. However, immediately after its release, it faced persistent controversy regarding its similarities to the Pokémon franchise, and in September 2024, it was sued by Nintendo for patent infringement, which included a demand for an injunction against the use of the entire IP.

Despite this, Pocketpair has not stopped its momentum. In October of the same year, the studio signed a global mobile licensing agreement for Palworld with Krafton, and in November, it announced a collaboration with Terraria, continuing to cooperate with various game companies and IPs. Subsequently, in May 2025, the studio removed some of the controversial elements through a patch, stating that it was a measure to "more clearly demonstrate that Palworld does not infringe on patents."

This announcement of an official launch comes while the legal battle with Nintendo has not yet fully concluded. As the release is scheduled for next year, there is a possibility that the official launch timing could be affected by the results of the ongoing lawsuit.

Pocketpair stated in a notice, "We express our gratitude to all the fans who continue to support Palworld and Pocketpair. We will continue to communicate more openly and actively to deliver the best gaming experience in the future."

Meanwhile, along with the announcement of the 2026 official launch, Pocketpair teased an additional update containing a surprise gift within this year.