Following the success of Palworld and the company's rapid expansion, developer Pocketpair continues to position itself as an independent studio. John "Bucky" Buckley, Head of Publishing and Communications, stated that employee count, budget, and revenue are not the sole criteria for determining independence; the team's ability to make autonomous creative decisions is more critical.
Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe previously described the company as a truly independent studio while acknowledging that its scale is approaching double-A status. Buckley stated that Pocketpair is wholly employee-owned and does not rely on external investors. Although Palworld reached 40 million players that year and the company grew significantly, its working principles have remained unchanged.
Buckley believes that receiving funding from major publishers or corporations does not necessarily cause a studio to lose its independence. As long as partners do not interfere with creative direction, the team can remain independent; conversely, even if a team is small, it may no longer possess this independence if it is effectively executing directives from external organizations.
Pocketpair is currently expanding its publishing division to support projects such as Windborne Journey, Countryside Chronicles, and Clicker Islands. Buckley stated that players may refer to the company as double-A or "Triple-I," but continuing to produce games independently is more important than specific labels.