Palworld Card Game Reveal Elevates it Into a Full-Blown Franchise

2 weeks ago 6

Covering the video games industry since 2017, with experience in news, articles, lists, and reviews (and I blame The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask for that).

If you are a fan of RPGs and want a third-person version: Tayná Garcia is a Brazilian journalist (but you can call her Tay) who ended up working with video games after finishing Zelda: Majora's Mask when she was a kid. With more than eight years of experience in the segment, she has been an assistant editor at Jovem Nerd in the past and is currently a contributor at DualShockers and a writer for gaming magazines for Editora Europa. Oh, and she may like Hideo Kojima a bit too much.

It seems the momentum behind the "survival game with guns" hasn't slowed down, and now the world is finally ready for Palworld to become a major franchise in the gaming industry – despite the fact that the game is still locked in a legal battle with Nintendo over its similarities to Pokémon.

That's because the Japanese developer Pocketpair has officially teamed up with Bushiroad to announce that the monster-catching survival hit is coming to the physical world with a brand-new official trading card game.

Strategy, Competitive Battles, and Pals In Your Hands

Titled the Palworld Official Card Game, the project is designed for competitive play, focusing on tactical battles between two players. Much like in the original video game, players will deploy their Pals into the field, each possessing unique characteristics and abilities that must be used strategically to achieve victory.

However, the card game isn't just about combat. According to the official website, players will also need to collect resources and build bases throughout their matches, mirroring the core survival mechanics of the PC and console versions. "Team up with your trusty Pals and experience the thrill of overcoming formidable enemies through this exciting trading card game," the site reads.

By blending creature collecting with resource management, the Palworld TCG aims to preserve the same gameplay loop that helped the survival title become a global phenomenon upon its 2024 launch.

Oh, and naturally, the ultimate goal for players will be to master their deck of Pals and manage to overcome their opponents through a mix of raw power and clever construction.

The first teaser for the card game has already been released, and while brief, it offers a glimpse at some of the stunning card art fans can expect! You can check it out right below:

The best part for eager fans is that they won't have to wait long, by the way, since the Palworld Official Card Game is currently scheduled for release on July 30th of this year.

While specific pricing and detailed card lists have not been disclosed at the time of writing, Pocketpair has indicated via the official Palworld Discord that more news will be shared very soon.

The project is being developed in partnership with Bushiroad, a veteran producer in the world of collectible card games and trading cards, known primarily for Cardfight!! Vanguard, Weiss Schwarz, and Shadowverse: Evolve. And that is pretty good news, since it ensures that Palworld’s transition to the tabletop world is handled by industry experts.

This TCG move signals that Pocketpair is literally doubling down on the IP, moving beyond the digital realm and into the competitive tabletop market nearly two years after its historic launch on Steam. It is basically a statement that the studio views Palworld as a long-term brand.

However, the journey so far for the game hasn't been entirely smooth. The franchise is still facing a legal conflict with Nintendo, in which the survival title is accused of plagiarizing the Pokémon series. We still don’t know how this chapter will end, but this cardgame expansion suggests that the developers have ambitious plans for the future of Palworld, regardless of the legal hurdles ahead.