Summary

• Next Palworld update to introduce a new island, Pals, and a skin for Cattiva.
• Speculation grows on potential microtransactions coming to Palworld.
• If proven true, microtransactions could negatively impact player experience.

Palworld is currently days away from an update that will grant people a new island to explore, new Pals to catch, and more. However, a worrying post from the dev team has speculation growing that microtransactions could soon arrive in the title, starting a dangerous trend that would further separate it from its rival.

The message comes from the official Palworld X (formerly Twitter), where the team praises the fact that the Sakurajima update is only three days away. However, just under that praise is a statement that another thing coming in the update is a skin for the Pal known as Cattiva.

This skin is the first of its kind, implying that there will be more to come in subsequent updates. The game is currently in Early Access form via PC and Xbox, but things could rapidly grow as the team at PocketPair continues to grow it.

Microtransactions Could Ruin Palworld In The Long Run

Charging For New Pal Skins Could Take Away From Update

The reason that this is worrying is that Palworld currently has no microtransactions. Instead, it has a one-off cost and is also available on Xbox Game . Once that price is paid, people have access to all the content available. If microtransactions are introduced, especially via skins for Pals, it could start a dangerous trend that might anger people who play it, as it could be seen as a cash grab from a previously micro-transaction-free title. Furthermore, the franchise it’s loosely based on, Pokémon, doesn’t have microtransactions, with the exception of Pokémon GO.

It should be stated that the dev team hasn’t confirmed or denied that the Pal skin is paid content, but the team did hype up this first skin, and thus, it’s something to keep an eye on. However,could keep people playing for a long time.

Palworld made a big impact upon release in January 2024, and while its numbers have fallen since then, a new expansion like this could bring those people back. However, if people think that this is a title that will try to charge them for previously free items like skins, items or skins, it could make those people wary of coming back. It may not be confirmed just yet, but it is something to be concerned about.

Source: Palworld/X