Since the January 2024 Early Access release of Palworld, Pocketpair, the developer and publisher behind the open-world creature collector, has been growing its Pal-flavored empire, announcing a life sim, Palworld: Palfarm, Palworld Mobile, a Palworld TCG, and even a dating sim, "Pal♡world! More Than Just Pals." Now, according to recent trademark filings at the US PTO, it looks as though Pocketpair is planning to release something called "Palworld Online," although there's not all that much in the trademark filing to go by otherwise. The trademark is filed under IC9, covering digital and physical goods with specific mention of game cartridges and downloadable media; IC41, likely to cover online gaming services and related musical IP; and IC42, which covers, among other things, design and development of computer hardware and software.

Since Palworld already has online gameplay as central to the experience, and the studio is already involved in a handful of other genres within the same IP, online speculation about the trademark is leaning in two directions: a gacha game or a more traditional MMO experience. While either seems equally likely at this point, the recent trend for game studios to lean into gacha mechanics as a money-making mechanism has fans of Palworld concerned about the future of the franchise. It should also be mentioned that the trademark application also includes specific mention of "artificial intelligence as a service" and "services featuring software using artificial intelligence (AI) for developing computer games," which could simply mean traditional AI, as in the kind that powers player interactions with in-game enemies, but the inclusion of the acronym AIAAS suggests that there will be some sort of AI integration in whatever Palworld Online becomes.

It's undeniable that Palworld has had a successful Early Access period, even spawning a spinoff late last year in Palfarm and collaborating with some of the biggest games in the indie industry. Now, as the developer, Pocketpair is lining up to launch sometime in 2026, John Buckley, head of publishing and communications lead at Pocketpair, has made a few comments hyping up the launch during a GDC interview with GamesRadar+. Buckley says that, while survival crafting is a niche genre with a large player base on Steam, Pocketpair hopes that Palworld will be a game with something for everyone to enjoy. "There's so many incredible, incredible survival crafting games, but I think every survival crafting gamer has their like ideal version of what survival crafting should be, and we hope Palworld 1.0 will be that kind of something for everyone, lose yourself in this world, survival crafting game."

He goes on to suggest that the 1.0 launch will add polish to all of the game's mechanics and flesh out the mechanics that are still incomplete in addition to expanding the base content of the game for more advanced players "Now, a huge chunk of quote unquote end game content will be added. So if you really want to continue from where you left off, sure you're not missing out on the full experience, but you are missing out on some things. We've tried our best to expand everything. Not just the end game, but also improve the early game, add more to the early game, flesh out the middle game, kind of something for everyone, really."

Pocketpair, which recently found itself in hot water over Palworld's striking similarity to Nintendo's Pokemon games, has announced its next game release with an official Steam page. One of the biggest points of contention in the Nintendo v. Pocketpair lawsuit has been the creature collecting mechanics that Palworld employs with regard to its Pals, and those exact same Pals will now be able to accompany you in Palfarm, which bears a not-insignificant resemblance to the popular indie game, Stardew Valley. Palfarm is, unsurprisingly, a spin-off of Palworld, taking place on the Palpagos Islands, where humans and Pals live and work side-by-side.

The Pals seem like more than just visual dressing for Palfarm. The Steam store page makes mention of the Pals' different abilities to help accomplish tasks, farm the land, cook, work, and grow shop. Unlike Palworld, it seems as though Palfarm will be treating Pals more like people than animals, since they will reportedly be able to run their own stores and form relationships with players. Officially, violence towards your companions and eating Pals are both off the table—another divergence from the original Palworld philosophy, which more or less gives players free rein over their actions in-game. However, there is a darker side to Palfarm, like fighting wild Pals who come to raid your crops, and an underground black market where you can buy all manner of illicit materials, like guns and contraband. Palfarm will be playable in both single-player and online co-op multiplayer modes, although an exact launch date has not yet been announced.