The Pokemon competitive scene is alive and well, thanks to Pokemon Unite; a MOBA game that has been populating the mobile gaming market for quite a while. Released for Nintendo Switch and Android/IOS devices in 2021, Pokemon Unite has provided a healthy esports environment for one of Nintendo’s prized franchises. However, a competitor is on the rise. Palworld has taken the world by storm and has broken more records in its first month than most of the other AAA titles.
Palworld is esports-ready at this very moment and can thrive since it has one good thing that Pokemon Unite does not. In most cases, Pokemon Unite has pay-to-win advantages while the bare requirement for Palworld is owning the game. Everything else depends on grinding and finding new and powerful Pals to play with. If Pocket Pair simplifies the system then Palworld could very well be a recognizable esport that rivals many other mobile gaming giants.
Aside from gameplay that is fun to watch, it has a nice element system similar to many other games out there that captilizes on a Pal’s weakness. This can balance out the game and offer new challenges to players. Pokemon fans will recognize the pattern of the elemental system. For example: Dragon types are weak against Ice types and Fire types are weak against Water types. These are some of the basic aspects of life. And these also exist in Palworld.
But Palworld’s biggest advantage is the freedom of roaming around in an arena similar to how Battle Royale games work. Combining the elemental weakness system and the arena-type gameplay, Palworld’s esports scene can be more entertaining than most of the other esport titles out there if done right.
Factors that might work against Palworld’s argument as an esports title
If there are factors that can go right, there are factors that can go wrong as well. Primarily, the amount of viewership that the scene will draw at first is a big ask for any title striving for esports. Even though the game received a huge boost in sales and rep during launch, there are tons of things that can go wrong. Aside from that, drawing rules and setting up proper groundwork can take tons of time and has to be done right for the first event. If not then players will lose interest. And on of the biggest challenges still remain. Since Palworld is a first of its kind, there were slim pickings when it comes to esports professionals.
For example, CS players can transfer over to Valorant and vice versa. There have been a few games like Palworld but they have not been played at the highest level with this amount of complexity. The point is, that the risk-to-reward ratio of holding an esports space for the game is 1:1 for now. If Pocket Pair can come up with a system just like Valorant Champions Tour 2024 that can function well and have a proper year of play without interruptions, then it can work quite well.
Pocket Pair as of now is enjoying the success of the sales. Their objective currently is to deliver the best experience to fans faithful to Palworld. Esports for the game is one of their final concerns but they can afford to think about it, unlike other games.
