These in search of a job at Palworld developer Pocketpair might want to have some severe play historical past on Steam, whereas these with none will not be thought-about in any respect.
In a post on X (translated through Automaton), Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe shared some insights into how the studio behind the hit monster-catching survival recreation hires new builders. He revealed that these trying to be a part of the workforce are primarily required to play video games on Steam.
ポケットペアはプランナーにはSteamのゲームのプレイ履歴のスクリーンショットを提出して貰っています。（そもそもSteam未プレイの人は書類選考通過しない）… https://t.co/maBTOxwS7s
— Takuro Mizobe | Palworld (@urokuta_ja) January 23, 2026
“Actually, in the event you do not play video games on Steam in any respect, you will not make it previous the resume screening stage,” Mizobe mentioned.
Whereas he mentioned that gamers who’ve substantial playtime on different platforms like PlayStation 5 or Xbox are additionally inspired to submit screenshots displaying their playtime, if an applicant’s variety of Steam video games performed is zero, their software will not be thought-about out of precept.
“We wish our colleagues to be enjoying indie video games which are solely accessible on Steam,” Mizobe mentioned.
2026 is poised to be an enormous yr for Palworld and Pocketpair. Palworld is gearing up for its full launch 1.0 replace later this yr that can embody a “large quantity of content material.” The franchise can also be set to enter the tabletop gaming house with an official Palworld card recreation this summer time. In the meantime, a Palworld spin-off, Palworld: Palfarm, is moreover in growth.
Along with creating Palword and its spin-off, Pocketpair is engaged on new video games and now additionally publishes video games on platforms like Steam. Pocketpair mentioned it will not work with or publish video games from builders who use AI or put a concentrate on Web3 or NFTs.
Regardless of the success of Palworld, Pocketpair remains to be in a authorized battle with Nintendo, who’s in search of “an injunction towards infringement and compensation for damages” on the grounds that Palworld infringed on Nintendo patents. The continued lawsuit noticed Pocketpair take away Pal Spheres from Palworld final yr.
Extra just lately, a Japanese patent workplace denied Nintendo’s patent on the mechanic of throwing an merchandise to seize a personality, even when an identical patent was granted within the US. That patent, nevertheless, is now being reexamined by the US Patent and Trademark Workplace.