The game has been in development for almost three years. PocketPair has made the game available through Early Access as developers continue to refine the experience. In the meantime, it has become the No. 1 top-selling game on Steam. Palworld became a major hit just after the game launched in early access and became the biggest game of January 2024. More than a million players now enjoy the game every day. If you are one of those who have been wondering what’s the total player count and how much operation Studio is spending on running the game.
The game already broke multiple records amid the controversy surrounding the game for looking quite like the Pokémon creature. Not to mention that Game do will become one of the biggest games of 2024, even though the game is still in early access. Credits go to the developers who brought the Pokémon-like character, the ability to catch or breed over 100 pals, explore the map, and collect tonnes of resources to advance in their journey. With the endless things to do in the game, let’s take a closer look at the player counts and the operational costs.
Palworld March 2024 Player Count
According to ActivePlayer.io Stats, Palworld is now close to 7 million players, and the game has more than 15 million players on Steam and 10 million players on Xbox, for a total of 25 million players. It maintains a healthy player count. While the numbers are higher than competitors in Steam’s biggest game, they are noticeably smaller than the 1M average player count achieved in January.
🎉Total number of players exceeds 25 million🎉
— Palworld (@Palworld_EN) February 22, 2024
It's been a month since #Palworld was released, thank you!
・Steam: 15 million players
・Xbox: 10 million players
We will continue to prioritize fixing bugs and preventing further cheating.
Thank you for your continued support! pic.twitter.com/LnVSqJyZsD
However, like most of the titles, player counts tend to decline months later after the initial release. Indeed, interest over time has been low; the peak of Palworld was with 2 million players when it launched, but as of now, it sustains 100 million concurrent players online and in-game. On Steam, it has shown a positive graph with over 500K followers in the community.
<!– Palworld Steam Chart (Concurrent Players) –>
It’s not possible to get an accurate representation of the Palworld Player count on Xbox because the data isn’t made available to the public. However, with Microsoft’s press release on Xbox itself, it became the biggest 3rd Party Game Pass Launch Ever, with more than 7 million players on Xbox. At its peak, it reached a peak of ~3 million daily active users on the Xbox console. On Xbox, it is still under the Xbox Game Preview Programme, meaning there is more yet to come for the game.
Palworld Operating Cost
Takuro Mizobe, CEO of PocketPair, stated that the game server costs approximately 70 and a half million yen per month, which equates to approximately $477 thousand. Notably, PocketPair will need to pay after months to maintain the server, but only at the end of the day. It’s also possible that the studio might go bankrupt because of server fees. Reportedly, the developers of Palworld are spending $475,000 a month on server costs, sometimes resulting in severe memory leaks that inhibit the game’s scalability.
あれ、ひょっとしてサーバー代で倒産する？ pic.twitter.com/ahxYHM3zWl
— Takuro Mizobe | Craftopia, Palworld (@urokuta_ja) February 2, 2024
As for the decision to enable scalable hosting before doing so to offer uninterrupted service, that’s likely the main reason why its current overhead is as high as it is. PocketPair Studio’s development of Palworld involved a significant investment of about 1 billion yen, followed by an unusual financial approach where they prioritized creative aims over strict budgeting. In addition to this, Studio has outsourced tasks like artwork and bug fixing to the remaining budget, reflecting a strategic approach to spending. High cost and competitive risk are always in play with an indie title, risking the financial stability of its place in the gaming market.
Following the order to never let the service go down no matter what, we have prepared servers without regard to cost.
— Chujo Hiroto (@chujohiroto) February 2, 2024
We will continue to give our all to ensure that all players can enjoy to the fullest!
$478,000…
It was also willing to take such a gamble, which was critical as it was unusual. The substantial intangible investment does require a strategy for long-term financial health; discounts and pricing adjustments do help maintain sales momentum, which caters to different segments of the gaming community.
Palworld’s primary source of income hinges on its sales, which witnessed impressive initial success that moved 5 million units within the first few days of release across platforms. The development budget of the game at 1B Yen reflects the game’s in-depth content and polished experience. Players can expect more in-game content and mechanics to be added in the coming months. The game is currently priced at $27, which is temporary and can go up with a stable release. Without the impossible number on the first day, the game managed to maintain its momentum for a couple of weeks after its launch. As for keeping in alignment with demand, the studio is offering the Palworld Multiplayer server without considering compatibility. PocketPair does ensure they do everything to keep all players for a smooth experience.
