Palworld’s creators are paying the Kenzera devs to make a horror game about the entertainment industry

Here’s a heartwarming story for the weekend: the creators of the popular game Palworld are using some of their earnings to establish a new publishing arm. Their first project as a publisher is an untitled horror game from Surgent Studios, the developers of Tales Of Kenzera: ZAU.

Interestingly, this new game is not the “Project Uso” that Surgent announced last October. Founder Abubakar Salim described “Project Uso” as a mix of an RPG and a beat ’em up power fantasy set in the same world as the studio’s debut Afrofuturist platformer. However, their new game for Pocketpair is different, as it is centered around the entertainment industry.

Abubakar Salim shared, “Both Surgent and Pocketpair are known for taking risks. We identified a pattern in the entertainment industry, and Pocketpair has given us the chance to create a horror game based on it.”

Despite this new project, there may still be more Tales of Kenzera games in the future. Salim mentioned, “We are discussing potential projects within the Tales of Kenzera universe, but this new game will be a standalone piece, marking a transition in our journey.”

This opportunity comes at a crucial time for Surgent, as their game Tales Of Kenzera did not meet sales expectations. The studio had to downsize last year and put their games division on hold.

Similarly, Pocketpair is facing a legal battle with Nintendo over patent infringement. Despite this, they seem to be holding their ground against accusations of copyright theft.

Salim’s comments about Pocketpair’s willingness to take risks may be accurate, but it remains to be seen how this will translate into game design. While Palworld has its merits, it may not stand out in terms of creativity.

The focus of Surgent’s upcoming game remains a mystery. Given Salim’s stance on racism in the industry, it could address that issue. Or perhaps it will take a more playful approach, pitting players against quirky characters reminiscent of popular franchises.