Palworld developers enter to Publish Indie Horror Project

Pocketpair, the creators behind the hit Palworld, has officially announced the launch of its publishing division, Pocketpair Publishing. This new venture is set to support indie game developers and studios by offering funding, development assistance, and publishing resources. "This business will support game development through funding, development assistance, and publishing for indie game developers and studios," the company said in a release.

The first major partnership under this new initiative is with Surgent Studios, the creators of Tales of Kenzara: Zau. Pocketpair Publishing will help bring Surgent’s upcoming horror game to life. Unlike Tales of Kenzara, this new title is a standalone horror experience, and though the game’s name has not yet been revealed, it is expected to be released in 2025. The game promises to be "short and weird," according to Surgent Studios CEO Abubakar Salim, who also noted that the studio is continuing conversations with Pocketpair about further projects set in the Tales of Kenzara universe.

This partnership comes at a crucial time for Surgent Studios, which had to pause its development work in October 2024 due to a lack of funding. At that time, the studio had been looking for a partner to help bring a darker, more visceral game to life - one that retains the high-octane combat and cultural depth seen in Zau. Pocketpair’s support allowed the studio to continue working on this exciting new project.

For Pocketpair, the move into publishing comes after the immense success of Palworld, a survival creature-catching game. CEO Takuro Mizobe revealed in an interview that Palworld was developed with a relatively small budget of ¥1 billion ($6.4 million) but brought in tens of billions in profit. This success has enabled Pocketpair to help other indie developers who struggle to find funding in an industry increasingly difficult for smaller studios to navigate. "As the games industry continues to grow, more and more games find themselves struggling to get funded or greenlit," said John Buckley, Pocketpair Publishing lead. "We think this is a real shame because there are so many incredible creators and ideas out there that just need a little help to become incredible games."

Unlike some larger publishers, Pocketpair has made it clear that it does not want to take control of developers or push them to change their vision. Instead, the goal is to provide financial support for developers to make their dream games. This approach is similar to what was seen with the launch of Innersloth’s Outersloth in 2024, where the indie studio used its success with Among Us to help fund and mentor other game creators.

As indie studios continue to face funding challenges, Pocketpair’s new publishing division is a timely effort to lift up the next wave of creators, fostering collaboration and supporting fresh ideas. Pocketpair is poised to help other developers follow the same path to success, ensuring that new and innovative titles can see the light of day in an increasingly tough market.