Palworld dev eyes Nintendo Switch 2 if specs fit

When Palworld first launched, its blend of creature-catching and survival elements quickly earned it comparisons to Pokémon—particularly with its tagline "Pokémon with guns." While developer Pocketpair may not embrace this comparison, the game's charming monster collection has led many to wonder if it would ever come to Nintendo's console, the Switch.

According to communications director John "Bucky" Buckley, bringing Palworld to the Switch isn't feasible—at least not in its current state. "The game is too demanding technically," he explained. "If we could make it work, we would, but Palworld is a beefy experience."

At last week's Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, I caught up with Buckley after his talk, Community Management Summit: A Palworld Roller Coaster: Surviving the Drop. When I asked about a potential Nintendo Switch 2 version, he expressed interest but remained cautious. "We haven't seen the specs yet," he admitted. "Like everyone else, we're waiting. I've been asking around GDC, but no one seems to have details."

If the hardware can handle it, Buckley confirmed the team would seriously consider a port. "We put in a lot of effort optimizing for Steam Deck, and that turned out great. There’s room for improvement, but we’d love to expand to other handhelds if possible."

Some speculate that Nintendo's ongoing lawsuit over alleged patent infringement—specifically regarding the game’s creature-capture mechanics—might be the real reason Palworld avoids Nintendo platforms. However, Buckley has downplayed this connection, revealing in his GDC talk that the legal dispute genuinely blindsided the team.

"We did comprehensive legal checks before launch to avoid exactly this situation," he said. "The entire Pocketpair team are big Pokémon fans, so it was a tough day—everyone was pretty bummed out."

The bigger question remains: Would Nintendo even allow a game it's legally contested onto its next-gen console? We’ll have more from our full interview with Buckley later this week. In the meantime, Palworld just received cross-platform play in its latest update—making now a perfect time to jump back in if you’ve been away.