Palworld lead hits back at claims Pocketpair "dgaf" about its survival hit, jokes "we should drop 1.0 right now, add loot boxes, disable singleplayer, online only then shut it down in 12 months"

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Palworld lead hits back at claims Pocketpair "dgaf" about its survival hit, jokes "we should drop 1.0 right now, add loot boxes, disable singleplayer, online only then shut it down in 12 months" News By Jordan Gerblick published 24 January 2026

Palworld publishing lead Bucky isn't having any of it

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Palworld's famously outspoken publishing lead John "Bucky" Buckley has responded to those accusing Pocketpair of abandoning its popular open-world survival crafting game, arguing that the updates released and planned in the two years the game's been in early access prove those claims wrong.

Over on Twitter, where Bucky likes to share his musings on all sorts of industry issues, the developer quote-tweeted someone claiming Pocketpair "dgaf" about Palworld anymore and that it's become "quite obvious" after two years in early access.

"True, two free collabs, two unreleased spin-offs, plus still in early access (read: boogeyman mode) because we are fixing and patching issues," Bucky shot back. "We definitely 'dgaf'!

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"We should drop 1.0 right now, add loot boxes, disable singleplayer, online only then shut it down in 12 months," Bucky joked.

True, two free collabs, two unreleased spin-offs, plus still in early access (read: boogeyman mode) because we are fixing and patching issues. We definitely "dgaf"! We should drop 1.0 right now, add loot boxes, disable singleplayer, online only then shut it down in 12 months. https://t.co/a9TwNCnDgBJanuary 23, 2026

Considering Pocketpair just celebrated two years of Palworld with a 1.0 update tease, which Bucky said will be the game's biggest yet - and with Pocketpair recently inviting Epic for a Fortnite collab - it's definitely pretty hard to defend the position that the studio doesn't care about the game.

That said, the concerns are valid considering Pocketpair's Craftopia, which released into early access in 2020, still hasn't released its 1.0 update and there's a good chance it never will with Palworld seemingly being Pocketpair's primary focus at the moment.

Palworld dev Pocketpair won't hire anyone with no Steam playtime, CEO explains: "If an applicant's number of Steam games played is 0, we will, in principle, pass them on"

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Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. CATEGORIES PS5 PC Gaming Xbox Series X Xbox One Platforms PlayStation Xbox Jordan GerblickSocial Links Navigation

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.

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