Highlights

  • Animal rights organization PETA is concerned about the cruelty towards animals in the open-world game Palworld.
  • PETA may create a vegan guide for Palworld fans who do not want to eat the game's animal characters.
  • While PETA's statement focuses on eating Pals, there are other potentially questionable activities in the game, such as capturing animals for breeding and labor.

Pocketpair’s open-world animal-collecting adventure game Palworld has caught the attention of animal rights organization PETA due to its apparent cruelty toward animals. Prior to release, Palworld was marketed as “Pokemon with guns,” and as such, it doesn’t really hold back on the pixelated violence, even against the eponymous Pals that populate the game world.

However, the cuteness of the Pals has caused some players to feel particularly bad about killing them, as evidenced by occasional posts on social media. Of course, one of the central gameplay mechanics in Palworld is base building and crafting items, much of which requires loot that drops from Pals. These valuable goodies can be obtained in Palworld by capturing Pals with a Pal Sphere or by sticking them in a Ranch, where they freely drop items as they roam around. But loot can also be collected more quickly and cheaply by simply slaughtering the wild Pals inhabiting the world.

God of War Ragnarok wolf Fenrir
Related
PETA Isn't Happy About God of War's Animal Violence

The famous animal rights organization takes issue with God of War Ragnarok's treatment of animals and one mid-game boss, in particular.

It’s not only a few players who are having a hard time with possibly mistreating Pals. PETA, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, got in touch with Insider Gaming and hinted that it may be creating a vegan guide for “Palworld fans who have no interest in eating Pals… It’s ‘Veganuary’ after all.” This wouldn’t be the first time the animal rights organization has stepped in to help gamers out. PETA created a vegan guide for Animal Crossing: New Horizons players when that game released in March 2020.

PETA's Statement on Palworld

PETA has already heard from many Palworld fans who have no interest in eating ‘Pals’ and want a vegan guide created for the game. It’s ‘Veganuary’ after all, and gamers want to help animals by eating vegan in their game worlds and outside.

It’s worth noting that the statement from PETA seems concerned only with eating Pals, even though there are a few other potentially distasteful activities available to do in Palworld. In addition to the aforementioned slaughter of Pals, captured animals are put to work in what essentially amount to unpaid labor camps, with their only recompense being a fluffy bed and some grub. Furthermore, even human NPCs can be captured in Palworld in the same manner as animals.

The notable silence in PETA’s statement somewhat echoes a contradiction found within Palworld itself. Players can freely run about taking down wild Pals, complete with sad death cries, as much as they want. But killing captured Pals is apparently too brutal to see. At level 12, it’s possible to learn to craft the Meat Cleaver to butcher domesticated Pals, but the animation is pixelated. It’s also much kinder to get rid of captured Pals in Palworld by selling them to a merchant, where it can go on to enjoy a hopefully happy life.