Palworld designer and Pocketpair Publishing manager John 'Bucky' Buckley is once again firing back at the haters of Pocketpair's survival game hit, telling folks that two years on from the successful early access release, "mayhaps use your time better."
Yesterday, it was revealed that Palworld is getting its own physical trading card game, launching this July. Titled the Palworld Official Card Game, it's somewhat impossible to ignore the Pokemon comparisons, but the mechanics of the game itself sound pretty different, as it involves gathering resources, as well as building bases, in addition to fighting alongside your trusty Pals.
Taking to Twitter in the hours after the announcement, Bucky says it's "great seeing all the excitement" and "buzz about the Palworld Card Game!" With that said, he adds: "Hilarious seeing all the meltdowns too."
He continues: "Look, 'hating' on Palworld at launch was the meta. I get it. Easy views. But still? Two years later? Mayhaps use your time better. Go play games or something!"
As Bucky says, there are "more and more game releases every year," to the point that "you couldn't want for more." As such, he summarizes: "At this point if you're still ranting about a game you supposedly don't like after two years then I'm thinking it's a you problem now… Go play something else. So many incredible games!!"
There’s more and more game releases every year.You couldn’t want for more at this point. At this point if you’re still ranting about a game you supposedly don’t like after 2 years then I’m thinking it’s a you problem now…Go play something else. So many incredible games!!January 12, 2026
There are definitely plenty of people excited about the card game, but looking around online, there are some criticisms from Pokemon fans alleging that Palworld is essentially trying to reheat The Pokemon Company's nachos, while some also suggest the resources being used on the TCG should be going towards Palworld itself, saying "the spin offs aren't necessary" when the main game "isn't even finished." With that said, Palworld's long-awaited 1.0 launch is currently set for a release sometime this year, so it shouldn't be too long before the survival game leaves early access.
