By Ashley Bardhan

Copyright gamesradar

Skip to main content

GamesRadar+
The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love

View Profile

Search GamesRadar+

Game Insights

Games Features

Games Reviews

Games Guides

The Big Preview

On The Radar

Future Games Show

Action Games

Action RPGs

Adventure Games

Third Person Shooters

Xbox Series X

Nintendo Switch

Nintendo Switch 2

Tabletop Gaming

Grand Theft Auto

Assassin’s Creed

Monster Hunter

The Elder Scrolls

Entertainment

Anime Shows

Sci-Fi Shows

Superhero Shows

Animated Shows

Marvel TV Shows

Star Wars TV Shows

DC TV Shows

Movie Reviews

Superhero Movies

Action Movies

Sci-Fi Movies

Anime Movies

Horror Movies

Marvel Movies

Apple TV Plus

Disney Plus

Amazon Prime Video

Marvel Comics

Toys & Merch

Toys & Collectibles

Dungeons and Dragons

Hardware News

Hardware Reviews

Hardware Features

Desktop PCs

Peripherals

Headsets & Headphones

TVs & Monitors

Gaming Mice

Gaming Keyboards

Gaming Chairs

Speakers & Audio

Accessories & Tech

Gaming Controllers

SSDs & Hard Drives

Accessories

Buying Guides

Newsletters

Retro Gamer

Game Insights

Games Features

Games Reviews

Games Guides

The Big Preview

On The Radar

Future Games Show

Action Games

Action RPGs

Adventure Games

Third Person Shooters

View Platforms

Xbox Series X

Nintendo Switch

Nintendo Switch 2

Tabletop Gaming

Franchises

Grand Theft Auto

Assassin’s Creed

Monster Hunter

The Elder Scrolls

Entertainment

View Entertainment

View TV Shows

Anime Shows

Sci-Fi Shows

Superhero Shows

Animated Shows

Marvel TV Shows

Star Wars TV Shows

DC TV Shows

View Movies

Movie Reviews

Superhero Movies

Action Movies

Sci-Fi Movies

Anime Movies

Horror Movies

Marvel Movies

View Streaming

Apple TV Plus

Disney Plus

Amazon Prime Video

View Comics

Marvel Comics

Toys & Merch

Toys & Collectibles

Dungeons and Dragons

View Hardware

Hardware News

Hardware Reviews

Hardware Features

Desktop PCs

Peripherals

View Peripherals

Headsets & Headphones

TVs & Monitors

Gaming Mice

Gaming Keyboards

Gaming Chairs

Speakers & Audio

Accessories & Tech

Gaming Controllers

SSDs & Hard Drives

Accessories

Buying Guides

Newsletters

Retro Gamer

Gaming Magazines

Why subscribe?

Subscribe from just £3
Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
Try a single issue or save on a subscription
Issues delivered straight to your door or device

From£9.99Subscribe now

Dying Light: The Beast
Borderlands 4 review
Battlefield 6
New Games for 2025

Don’t miss these

Survival Games
Palworld dev pushes back on Early Access criticisms, points to examples like Baldur’s Gate 3 and Satisfactory: “Games only get better when the players are involved”

Survival Games
Palworld might be making another play for Pokemon’s crown, snapping up shares in a Japanese card game publisher while Nintendo’s lawsuit rumbles on in the background

Survival Games
Palworld publishing director teases something “you might just like” is coming soon, but for now “Palworld posting” is on pause until they beat Silksong

Survival Games
Palworld dev and Pocketpair publishing manager says “big things” have happened that he can’t talk about for “at least a year or 2,” and keeping the secret is “gonna kill me”

Survival Games
Palworld studio’s publishing arm signs another “very exciting game” to add to its list of “bangers,” not long after helping release a new horror game featuring Baldur’s Gate 3 and Final Fantasy talent

Survival Games
Palworld 1.0 release scheduled for “next year” with “a truly massive amount of content planned” despite Nintendo’s ongoing lawsuit – and Pocketpair is “also working on some other things”

“Save them Bucky”: Fans hope for the best after Palworld and Pocketpair Publishing lead asks Romero Games about its defunded game – “Would love to hear more about this project if possible”

Survival Games
With the Palworld lawsuit rumbling on in the background, the Nintendo Switch welcomes “Palland” – a survival game that looks a whole lot like Pocketpair’s creature collector

Survival Games
As the Palworld lawsuit rumbles on, Nintendo claims two new patents that could change the way non-Pokemon creature collectors work for good

Survival Games
As Palworld update soars, IP expert says “weird” new moves from Nintendo in ongoing lawsuit read like a “desperate attempt to win by doing something odd”

Survival Games
Palworld update introduces its Terraria collaboration, fishing, a friendship mechanic, and lets you “sleep together with your Pals,” so “stop asking”

Survival Games
Palworld is back in Steam’s top 10 thanks to its Terraria update, but one dev is “sure it’ll be branded a ‘dead game’ for the 100th time a week from now”

Baldur’s Gate
Baldur’s Gate 3 publishing lead says patents like the controversial ones Nintendo has secured amid its Palworld lawsuit “are too often used in bad faith”

Survival Games
Palworld has a gigantic new Terraria collab because creator Redigit got a Hail Mary DM from Pocketpair: “Let this be a lesson to always shoot your shot”

Roguelike Games
“I see a lot of publishers I don’t like”: Vampire Survivors creator made his own publisher to “share the luck” and says too many companies “try to exploit the platforms just to make money”

Survival Games

Palworld lead reminds players the game “is 100% owned, 100% funded, 100% invested and 100% controlled by us, Pocketpair” as some question Sony business deal: “I’m crashing out over this fr fr”

Ashley Bardhan

18 September 2025

Bucky is in distress

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Pocket Pair)

The message Palworld communications director and publishing manager John ‘Bucky’ Buckley wants to spread across the world is not one of peace, necessarily, but it seems just as dire to him as something like that. So, for his sake, consider it: Palworld developer Pocketpair owns the monster-taming game all by itself.

Actually, not only is Palworld “100% owned” by Pocketpair, Bucky writes in a Twitter post, but also, the game is “100% funded, 100% invested and 100% controlled by us, Pocketpair.”
“They. Literally. Have. Zero. Authority,” Bucky says in response to a screenshot he appears to have taken of a Palworld player claiming Sony has power over the game. In 2024, Pocketpair scribbled a business deal with the PlayStation creator “to expand and develop new businesses associated with the hit game,” according to a press release issued at the time. In other words, the two companies would join forces to produce merchandise, music, and generally make superstars out of Palworld’s little monsters.

You may like

Palworld dev pushes back on Early Access criticisms, points to examples like Baldur’s Gate 3 and Satisfactory: “Games only get better when the players are involved”

Palworld might be making another play for Pokemon’s crown, snapping up shares in a Japanese card game publisher while Nintendo’s lawsuit rumbles on in the background

Palworld publishing director teases something “you might just like” is coming soon, but for now “Palworld posting” is on pause until they beat Silksong

Bucky seems aggrieved by the idea that Pocketpair’s joint venture with Sony could be anything more than that, writing in the same tweet that “I’m really falling for the bait hard these days.” He follows up in another post, writing, “I’m crashing out over this fr fr.”

“SME and Aniplex are a part of the joint venture ‘Palworld Entertainment,'” he continues to clarify. “At the moment, they are making merch and stuff. They are not above Pocketpair, nor do they have any control of the IP. We control our IP 100%.” OK, Bucky, we believe you!
Palworld dev pushes back on Early Access criticisms, points to examples like Baldur’s Gate 3 and Satisfactory: “Games only get better when the players are involved.”

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
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.

See more PC Gaming News

Xbox Series X

PlayStation

Ashley Bardhan

Senior Writer

Ashley is a Senior Writer at GamesRadar+. She’s been a staff writer at Kotaku and Inverse, too, and she’s written freelance pieces about horror and women in games for sites like Rolling Stone, Vulture, IGN, and Polygon. When she’s not covering gaming news, she’s usually working on expanding her doll collection while watching Saw movies one through 11.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Palworld dev pushes back on Early Access criticisms, points to examples like Baldur’s Gate 3 and Satisfactory: “Games only get better when the players are involved”

Palworld might be making another play for Pokemon’s crown, snapping up shares in a Japanese card game publisher while Nintendo’s lawsuit rumbles on in the background

Palworld publishing director teases something “you might just like” is coming soon, but for now “Palworld posting” is on pause until they beat Silksong

Palworld dev and Pocketpair publishing manager says “big things” have happened that he can’t talk about for “at least a year or 2,” and keeping the secret is “gonna kill me”

Palworld studio’s publishing arm signs another “very exciting game” to add to its list of “bangers,” not long after helping release a new horror game featuring Baldur’s Gate 3 and Final Fantasy talent

Palworld 1.0 release scheduled for “next year” with “a truly massive amount of content planned” despite Nintendo’s ongoing lawsuit – and Pocketpair is “also working on some other things”

Latest in Survival Games

No Man’s Sky patch notes add a far more efficient way to customize your ship: “If all this sticks, this might fix everything I’ve been having problems with”

Palworld dev pushes back on Early Access criticisms, points to examples like Baldur’s Gate 3 and Satisfactory: “Games only get better when the players are involved”

“To say Krafton’s new theory is a Hail Mary would be an understatement”: Former Subnautica 2 studio leadership allege publisher Krafton has changed “its story mid-litigation about why it fired the founders”

Palworld dev says a Dark Souls 3 mod invalidates Nintendo’s Pokeball patent, Nintendo says mods don’t count as real games, and an expert worries prior art precedents could see a modder’s work “used against them”

After 14 years and nearly $500,000 raised for charity, one dedicated Minecraft player is finally set to reach the fabled end-of-world Far Lands – a feat that may just be “one of the single greatest achievements” in gaming

Palworld 1.0 release scheduled for “next year” with “a truly massive amount of content planned” despite Nintendo’s ongoing lawsuit – and Pocketpair is “also working on some other things”

Latest in News

Palworld lead reminds players the game “is 100% owned, 100% funded, 100% invested and 100% controlled by us, Pocketpair” as some question Sony business deal: “I’m crashing out over this fr fr”

“That’s the way Nintendo is”: Tetris legend says Game Boy designer Gunpei Yokoi “made Nintendo’s game business, for chrissakes” but that still didn’t save him when “Virtual Boy was dead on arrival”

Marvel Zombies showrunner reveals What If…? team’s original plans for Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther, as they break down touching T’Challa moment

Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford isn’t quite done annoying Borderlands 4 fans just yet, admitting he did an “oops” when giving tech advice – but “the mistake was innocent”

“On Steam alone, I probably have 3,000 hours”: Nobody loves Vampire Survivors more than its creator, who once thought nobody would play it “for more than two hours” and ironically says short games rule

Daredevil: Born Again is officially confirmed to return for season 3, and it will start filming in 2026

GAME REVIEWS
MOVIE REVIEWS

Dying Light: The Beast review: “A playful sandbox of horror and mayhem with a surprising amount of depth”

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds review: “Even more frantic than Mario Kart World, this has the mileage to be a karting favorite”

Lego Voyagers review: “A carefully crafted, playful, and earnest adventure”

There’s now a real version of the Witcher Gwent card game, and it’s just as engrossing as the original

Borderlands 4 review: “Undeniably an excellent looter shooter, but one that requires a bit of tunnel vision to fully enjoy”

One Battle After Another review: “One of the best studio movies in years and an instant classic”

The Conjuring: Last Rites review: “Not bold or memorable enough for the Warrens’ final chapter”

Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle review: “Roars past Mugen Train as Demon Slayer’s best adventure yet”

The Long Walk review: “One of the best Stephen King adaptations ever made”

Frankenstein review: “A classy, if somewhat safe, adaptation”

Gen V season 2 review: “As strong as the first season, if not stronger”

Wednesday season 2 part 2 review: “Ortega shines, but it’s a zombie who steals the entire show”

Peacemaker season 2 review: “Darker and sadder than the first year, but there’s still a lot of fun to be had with the 11th Street Kids.”

Wednesday season 2 part 1 review: “Complex and exciting but weighed down by too many subplots”

Alien: Earth review: “Arguably the franchise’s strongest outing since James Cameron’s Aliens”

GamesRadar+ is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Contact Future’s experts

Terms and conditions

Privacy policy

Cookies policy

Advertise with us

Review guidelines

Write for us

Accessibility Statement

Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury,

BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait…