I Wouldn’t Rule Out a Palworld 2.0,” Says Pocketpair Publishing Head, But Warns Not to Expect a “No Man’s Sky Situation” with a Decade of Massive Updates

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John Buckley’s point about Palworld mirrors what’s been seen in other long-running games like World of Warcraft: eventually, progression systems hit a ceiling, and you need a “stat squish” or a reset to keep things manageable.

Key takeaways:

  • Linear progression limits: Palworld is designed around levels and incremental power growth. You can only keep adding more levels or stats before it becomes bloated or intimidating for players.

  • Stat squish analogy: Just as World of Warcraft had to reduce inflated numbers to keep progression meaningful, Palworld can’t just keep stacking levels forever. The idea is to keep numbers and progression readable and fun.

  • Content pacing: With 65 existing levels already giving 20–30 hours of gameplay, the 1.0 update expands the world but doesn’t remove the practical limits of progression. Adding too much risks turning new or casual players away.

  • Future plans: Buckley hints that Palworld 2.0 (or something beyond the first game) is possible, but only if they can expand the experience without it feeling like “work” rather than fun. Meanwhile, small spinoffs like Palworld: Palfarm are also in development.

So, just like WoW’s stat squish was necessary to keep endgame progression meaningful, Palworld will eventually need to manage its growth so that the game remains accessible and fun while still rewarding long-term players.

If you want, I can break down how a “Palworld stat squish” might look in practice, based on what WoW did. That could be interesting.