Pocketpair dropped a new developer update video today, and while it was framed as a quiet “state of the game,” there’s nothing quiet about what’s coming for Palworld. In the face of Nintendo’s ongoing patent infringement litigation, the team is pushing full steam ahead towards 1.0 — and for fans like my son (who asks me daily about this), we finally got confirmation: we are going to the World Tree in 2026.
The published video doesn't confirm the World Tree, but this Twitter exchange did, when someone asked Pocketpair’s Communications Director, Bucky, the one-million-dollar question of whether the world tree would be released at 1.0. Bucky’s reply was as direct as it gets: “yes.”
It's one word, but it gets the people going!
A look back before the big leap forward
In the video, Bucky from Pocketpair recapped the long road Palworld has taken since it exploded into Early Access and onto Xbox Game Pass back in January 2024.
If I can cast your minds back, Palworld sold 5 million copies in just 3 days and broke the record at the time for the biggest third-party launch in Game Pass history, attracting 2.1 million concurrent players at its peak on Steam.
Since that roaring start, we've had the following updates to the game:
- 0.2: Raids, which quickly became a fan favorite.
- 0.3: Sakurajima, the first new island, plus new Pals and quality-of-life improvements.
- 0.4: Feybreak, a huge landmass with a new faction, Pals, and fresh mechanics.
- 0.5: Crossplay, finally uniting players across all platforms.
- 0.6: Tides of Terraria, the much-anticipated collab, alongside even more quality-of-life updates.
That’s an impressive list for under two years of live service. But now Pocketpair says it's reached a crossroads. Rather than rushing out more flashy islands or factions, its developers are going to start "cleaning up the game’s quirks and jank" to prepare for launch properly and bring the game out of Early Access.
1.0 is the goal — and it’s coming in 2026
The team confirmed they plan to release Palworld 1.0 in 2026. Between now and then, the pace of updates will slow slightly, so we shouldn't expect the winter patch to be as massive as Feybreak. However, there will still be surprises along the way. Pocketpair was careful to stress that development isn’t being dialed back. If anything, they’re going bigger: “Development of Palworld is not slowing down or scaling back — quite the opposite.”
And with that bigger vision comes the World Tree. Long rumored, endlessly asked about, and sitting there on the horizon since day one, this mythical destination is finally confirmed for the official launch. I also asked Bucky on Twitter if there would be a physical disc release for the game, to which he teased "maybe". Now I'm just hoping that, given its success on Xbox Game Pass, it doesn't skip Xbox for a physical launch like Blue Prince did.
Pocketpair Publishing and beyond
The video also touched on Pocketpair’s bright future as a publishing company. Earlier this year, it launched Pocketpair Publishing, using the success of Palworld to help other developers with funding, marketing, distribution, and advice. They’re already supporting teams around the world, though they won’t be making games directly under the publishing label.
To date, they have helped launch indie titles like Dead Take with Surgent Studios, Truckful from Mythic Owl, and, most recently, announced a quirky pixelated fishing game called 'Normal Fishing', which, judging from the trailer, is absolutely not normal.
Meanwhile, inside the studio, smaller teams are tinkering with fresh prototypes. While the bulk of Pocketpair’s resources remain locked on Palworld, the company is trying to stay true to its roots.
Nintendo’s patent infringement lawsuit may be looming, but it’s clear that Pocketpair is unfazed. The devs are doubling down on the game that’s already a phenomenon, with 1.0 shaping up to be more than just a milestone patch.
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