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Pocketpair lead says “TemTem are not our rivals” as the series gets its own Palworld-like survival game
TemTem is developing a new spin-off called TemTem: Pioneers, which emphasises survival gameplay alongside crafting and resource management systems on PC. A gaming news outlet covering survival games categorised the title as a rival to Palworld, despite mechanical differences between the two titles.
John Buckley, head of publishing and communications at Pocketpair, publicly disagreed with this competitive characterisation. He expressed Pocketpair's respect for all game developers and their creations, reflecting an approach to the industry focused on cooperation and shared appreciation rather than treating commercial success as zero-sum competition.
In short
- TemTem: Pioneers announced as a survival-focused spin-off with expanded crafting and resource management systems
- Pocketpair's publishing head rejected 'rival' characterisation, emphasising collaborative approach and respect for other developers
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Gaming journalists reporting on the industry need to accurately reflect market realities. When two games target similar audiences through creature collection and survival mechanics, they inevitably compete for players' time and spending. Calling them "rivals" is straightforward reporting rather than insult, helping audiences understand which titles occupy similar market spaces.
The case against
The pervasive framing of games in shared genres as "rivals" contributes to unnecessarily adversarial industry culture. Multiple creature-collection titles can succeed simultaneously, and emphasising competitive positioning over mutual respect discourages the cooperation that benefits gaming communities. Pocketpair's pushback reflects a healthier industry philosophy that recognises room for different games and approaches rather than viewing each other as zero-sum competitors.
Explained simply
TemTem is a creature-collecting game series made by the Spanish studio Crema. Its new spin-off, TemTem: Pioneers, is planned for PC and adds survival, crafting and resource management to the series’ world.
Palworld is a separate game from Japanese developer Pocketpair, combining creature-catching with survival and crafting. Because the games share some broad features, they have been compared, though their mechanics differ. Pocketpair’s publishing and communications head is John Buckley; his comments reflect the studio’s stated respect for other developers and their work.