Palworld's reign cut short on Steam by new PlayStation game
Purely from a point of sheer fascination, the successes of Palworld have been incredible to watch. Many players first got involved via Game Pass, wondering how engaging a game so similar to Pokemon could be, only to end up hooked on the gameplay loop.
Viral marketing of "Pokemon with guns" has pushed Palworld to immense heights and made it 2024's biggest title so far - even though it's only February and the title is in early access. Now, though, it looks like the reign of the Pokeclone might be starting to shake.
Palworld has been dethroned from the Steam charts
Click to enlargeEven though Palworld has been running rampant on Game Pass, the game has been selling like hotcakes on Steam and topped the platform's charts for weeks. However, it looks like the dominion of the Pals could be coming to an end, as a new game has appeared with enough hype to dethrone it, if only temporarily.
Helldivers 2 is launching today (February 8), and in the run-up to its debut on PlayStation 5 and Steam, preorders for the third-person shooter have now raced past the sales of Palworld. Helldivers 2 has also beaten the rest of the Top Sellers category, featuring Counter-Strike 2 and the core Call of Duty launcher.
It's a pretty great achievement for the game, especially as reviews aren't even live for Helldivers 2 right before launch. Players are going to have to learn on the go, but for now, Helldivers 2 looks like it'll be one to watch. Don't worry Palworld, you've still got plenty of fans.
Palworld is zeroing in on cheaters
Click to enlargeGiven just how much cultural space Palworld has taken up in 2024 so far, a bounce-back for the game is expected. It's good timing because the survival monster catcher has announced some non-specific means of chopping out cheaters.
Palworld's Steam release is laden with those who are exploiting the glitches in the game, and it has become a serious issue pretty quickly. Now that Pocket Pair is cracking down, it means we could be in for a more level experience.
That all depends on whether you're willing to return to Palworld after the launch of Helldivers 2, although something tells us that players will be back pretty soon. After all, once they realise that forcing your Poke-like beasts to work in a sweatshop is a Palworld-exclusive feature, they'll scurry back.
