Pocketpair

is a Japanese video game development company based in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The company was founded by Takuro Mizobe in 2015 and is best known for their games ''Craftopia'' and ''Palworld''.

The company's first title was the roguelike deck-building game ''Overdungeon'' which was released in 2019. In 2020, Pocketpair released the open-world survival crafting game ''Craftopia'' and announced ''Palworld'' in 2021. However, the game's development was delayed, and they released their third title ''AI Art Imposter'' in 2022. In 2024, they released ''Palworld'' after three years of development.

History

Pocketpair was founded in 2015 by Takuro Mizobe. Mizobe completed an internship at Nintendo Game Seminar while he was studying at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. After his graduation from university, he joined JPMorgan Chase but soon resigned to found the bitcoin exchange Coincheck. Half of Pocketpair's initial development team were friends that Mizobe met at the Nintendo Game Seminar and the other half were friends from university.

In 2019, Pocketpair released the card-action game ''Overdungeon''. The game was developed based on the idea of combining the elements of ''Slay the Spire'' and ''Clash Royale''. Pocketpair initially launched the game in early access in November 2018 and it was officially released by Chinese publisher Lightning Games in 2019. However, due to issues related to the contract with the publisher, Pocketpair was unable to proceed with updates for the game. As a result, they decided to abandon updates for ''Overdungeon'' and instead they started developing their second game, ''Craftopia''. Eventually, Pocketpair regained full rights to ''Overdungeon'' and resumed its development after a period of inactivity. On January 9, 2025, the game was released for the Nintendo Switch, marking its return with the first update in four years, which introduced new content and various improvements.

Based on their experience with the development of ''Overdungeon'', which was developed with the idea of combining the elements of multiple games. Pocketpair developed ''Craftopia'' based on the idea of incorporating elements from even more games. As a result, the development of ''Craftopia'' drew inspiration from various games such as '' The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild'', ''Minecraft'' and '' ARK: Survival Evolved''. In September 2020, Pocketpair launched the early access of this game.

Pocketpair began development on ''Palworld'' six months after the early access release of ''Craftopia''. The company significantly expanded its staff for the development of ''Palworld''. The game was announced in June 2021 at INDIE Live Expo. Initially, the plan was to complete the game within about a year of its announcement, but due to delays in development, the game was postponed. During that time, in November 2022, Pocketpair released ''AI Art Imposter'' for Windows, Android and iOS. Additionally, in May 2023, the company announced ''Never Grave: The Witch and The Curse'', a 2D action game developed by their in-house studio, Frontside 180 Studio. Despite aiming to complete ''Palworld'''s development by August 2023, it was delayed again. After a network test conducted in November 2023, early access of the game finally began in January 2024 for Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, and for the PlayStation 5 in September 2024. On June 10, 2024, it was announced that the game would be released in early access for macOS later that year.

In July 2024, Pocketpair announced a partnership with Sony Music Entertainment Japan and its subsidiary Aniplex to establish ''Palworld'' Entertainment, Inc. The joint venture was created to expand ''Palworld'''s brand through licensing and merchandising while excluding the game's development and distribution. The initiative aims to develop official merchandise and collaborations, with the first products showcased at Bilibili World 2024 in Shanghai, China.

On September 19, 2024, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed a lawsuit against Pocketpair in the Tokyo District Court, alleging that ''Palworld'' infringed on multiple patents. The claims centered on mechanics related to capturing creatures using throwable devices, determining whether a thrown object initiates combat or captures a creature, and the ability to ride creatures within the game. The lawsuit sought an injunction to halt ''Palworld'''s distribution and demanded damages of 10 million yen (approximately $65,000), plus additional fees. Pocketpair responded by expressing disappointment over the lawsuit and stated its intent to defend its position in court.

In December 2024, Nintendo filed multiple patent applications in the United States, reportedly aimed at legal action against Pocketpair. By February 2025, only one of the 23 submitted patents had been approved.

In October 2024, Pocketpair partnered with South Korean publisher Krafton to bring their game, ''Palworld'', to mobile platforms. Krafton's subsidiary, PUBG Studios, is tasked with adapting ''Palworld'' for mobile devices, aiming to faithfully reinterpret the core elements of the original game for the mobile environment. This collaboration signifies Pocketpair's strategic move to expand ''Palworld'''s reach into the mobile gaming market.

In January 2025, following the remarkable success of ''Palworld''—which sold 15 million copies in its first month—Pocketpair announced the launch of Pocketpair Publishing, a division focused on supporting independent game developers. The initiative aims to provide funding, development assistance, and publishing services for smaller studios. The first project under Pocketpair Publishing is a standalone horror game from Surgent Studios, known for '' Tales of Kenzera: Zau''. This partnership is particularly notable as Surgent Studios had previously faced financial difficulties that led to a pause in development.

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Japanese companies established in 2015
Software companies based in Tokyo
Video game companies established in 2015
Video game development companies
Video game companies of Japan
Video game publishers