Tencent’s Palworld clone game prompts reaction from PocketPair CEO – “These are incredible times” 

Chinese developer Tianjin Wumai Technology recently revealed the Steam store page for their upcoming title Auroria. The overall concept of the game and official in-game screenshots released so far bear a resemblance to PocketPair’s Palworld. The game is apparently being published by Tencent and HK Hero Entertainment. 

This comes a few weeks after it was reported that a studio under Tencent was developing a new “Palworld-style” game. Takuro Mizobe, CEO of PocketPair, has responded to the situation. 

Auroria is an open world sandbox game with online co-op play. It’s set on the uncharted blue planet Auroria, which players will explore while developing their habitats. The game takes on a sci-fi twist, with rocket building and space exploration being one of the goals.

The game will feature a variety of biomes, including grasslands, dense forests, ice fields, and deserts. Auroria is also inhabited by unusual creatures that can be captured and tamed. Screenshots suggest that it will be possible to have the creatures work at your base. 

At the moment, it seems that Auroria is planned for release for mobile and PC (Steam). The overlaps in genre, as well as visual similarities, have been prompting a lot of comparisons to Palworld on social media. Palworld is likewise an open world multiplayer game with survival/crafting gameplay and its own tamable creatures. Official screenshots used to promote Palworld included depictions of lined up Pals carrying things, and Auroria uses similar imagery.

Incidentally, at the end of March, Bloomberg reported that Tencent-owned TiMi Studio Group and LIGHTSPEED STUDIOS were developing a “Palworld-style” game for mobile devices. In addition, NetEase Games is developing Once Human, an open-world survival game that will feature the capture and training of Deviants, creatures that generate resources and perform tasks.

On April 16, Takuro Mizobe shared a screenshot from Auroria and addressed the recent trend of Palworld clones. He mentions the possibility of many Chinese high-budget clones releasing in 2025, commenting, “These are incredible times.” 

Palworld is currently available for the PC (Steam/Miscrosoft Store) and Xbox One/Xbox Series X|S in Early Access. A major update with various new features, including a new island biome, is planned for this summer. Also, a PvP mode is scheduled to be implemented by the end of this year. With a variety of new developments in the pipeline, it will be interesting to see how the game develops in the future. 

Translated by. Amber V (original article’s publication date: 2024-04-16 16:04 JST)