Pocketpair, the studio behind indie hit Palworld, has announced that it has started a publishing wing to its business. To kick things off, the company announced on social media platform X that it will be publishing the next title by Tales of Kenzera: Zau developer Surgent Studios.
“We’re pleased to announcer that our first project as Pocketpair Publishing will be supporting a brand new horror game from @surgentstudios,” posted Pocketpair on X. “Surgent Studios is a studio with an original approach, and Pocketpair is excited to support them to the fullest extent.”
Along with announcing that it will be publishing the new title, the company has also stated that it will be a new horror game. Surgent Studios hasresponded to PocketPair’s post by posting “FRIENDS”.
Surgent Studios was a company founded by Abubakar Salim, who has previously voiced Assassin’s Creed Origins protagonist Bayek. The studio’s first major release was Tales of Kenzera: Zau, which was released back in March 2024.
“We noticed a pattern in the entertainment industry, and Pocketpair has given us the opportunity to make a horror game about it,” said Salim, according to IGN. “Both Surgent and Pocketpair are well versed in taking risks. This game will be short and weird, and we think players will be interested in what we have to say.”
“We’re still in earnest conversation about further projects set in the Tales of Kenzera universe, but this will be a standalone piece: a mile marker between where we’ve come from and where we’re going.”
The company had announced that it was working on a new title, developed under the codename Project Uso. The few details that Salim revealed about the game include that it will be an RPG with an isometric perspective, there will be action RPG styled combat, and that its general atmosphere can be described as afro-gothic.
Project Uso is also described as a more visceral and gritty title than Tales of Kenzera: Zau, despite the fact that both games take place in the same universe. During its announcement, Salim had stated that the studio was looking for a funding partner, and while it hasn’t been confirmed either way, the title being published by Pocketpair might just be Project Uso.
However, it is also worth noting that Project Uso wasn’t announced as a horror title, and this new title is set to be a standalone project that doesn’t take place in the same universe as Tales of Kenzera: Zau.
Salim also mentioned that, with the development of Project Uso, the studio wanted to try its hand at creating its own RPG system, since many of the developers are also fans of tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons. To that end, Project Uso will feature the Crucible system, which will involve players having to partake in dice rolls against their own actions.
Tales of Kenzera: Zau is available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. The game’s story revolves around the player character challenging the God of Death in order to change the status quo. The title saw a positive critical reception on release. However, no sales data for the game have been revealed so far. In the mean time, Surgent Studios was also hit with a round of lay offs that impacted more than a dozen of its employees.
For more details about Tales of Kenzera: Zau, check out our review.
We’re pleased to announce that our first project as Pocketpair Publishing will be supporting a brand new horror game from @surgentstudios !
Pocketpair Publishingの最初のプロジェクトとして、SURGENT STUDIOSの完全新作のサポートを開始しました。SURGENT STUDIOS is a studio with an… pic.twitter.com/hqJcCbie3S
— Pocketpair Publishing (@PocketpairPBLSH) January 23, 2025
FRIENDS
— Pocketpair Publishing (@PocketpairPBLSH) January 23, 2025
