Pocketpair's new publishing arm draws a hard line: no generative AI, Web3, or NFTs
Pocketpair launched its publishing division to start 2025 and was flooded with interest-over 150 pitches in week one. Alongside promises to protect developer autonomy, the company made one policy crystal clear: it will not publish games that use generative AI, Web3, or NFTs.
"We don't believe in it," said Pocketpair Publishing head John Buckley in a recent interview. If your pitch leans on AI-generated content or blockchain hooks, they're not the partner for you.
Why this matters for devs and IT teams
This is a rare, explicit stance in a year where many studios are experimenting with AI for art, writing, audio, and systemic content. Buckley expects a wave of low-effort, AI-made games to hit storefronts and believes players will shift toward an "authenticity market" that rewards clear human craftsmanship.
That shift will also bring scrutiny. Players will try to separate human-made from machine-made-and there will be false positives. Pocketpair has felt that heat already: Palworld was repeatedly accused in 2024 of using generative AI, allegations the studio denied before ultimately letting the discourse fade out. As Buckley put it, fighting loud accusations only fuels them.
If you're pitching to Pocketpair, align with this
- Use human-driven pipelines for art, audio, writing, and design. If you use AI for internal support work (e.g., code linting, prototyping), be ready to show it doesn't touch shipped assets.
- Document provenance. Keep versioned source files, contractor agreements, and timestamped work-in-progress to prove authorship.
- Declare your policy up front. A short, direct statement in your pitch that "no generative AI was used for shipped assets" saves everyone time.
- Focus on craft and originality. Show references, style guides, and process-anything that signals real production effort, not prompt engineering.
- Ship small, special, and polished over big, synthetic, and fast. Their bet is on authenticity.
For publishers and platform teams
- Add AI usage disclosure to submissions and contracts. Define what "generative" means and where it's prohibited.
- Require asset lineage. Ask for layered source files, creator attestations, and third-party license checks.
- Spot-check code and content pipelines. Look for model fingerprints, stock AI artifacts, and inconsistent asset quality.
- Plan for community reports. Build a fair review process that reduces witch-hunts and resolves claims with evidence.
The authenticity market is coming
The short-term reality: storefronts will see more AI-made shovelware. The mid-term opportunity: trust will become a feature. Studios that can prove their work-and communicate that proof simply-will stand out to players, platforms, and partners.
Bottom line
Pocketpair is taking a clear, values-first position: no generative AI, no Web3, no NFTs. If you're building with human-first production and can validate it, you're aligned. If your strategy depends on AI-generated content, look elsewhere-and be transparent about it to avoid backlash later.
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