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Let us be perfectly clear: April Fools Day is one of the worst days of the year for video game journalists. There have been some wild stories over the years of pranks from game developers that feel just real enough to be true. So, when Pocketpair announced that they were developing a Palworld dating sim, we had to double-check. Turns out, it’s true – Palworld! More Than Just Pals is a dating sim coming to a PC near you.

This is actually the final evolution of many April Fools jokes, as Pocketpair joked about making the game last year. Apparently, the response was positive enough that the company put time and money into it, creating a game where you can “stay friends with the pals, develop romantic relationships with them, or even dismember and eat them.” The game’s Steam page specifically mentions Katress and Chillet as potential romanceable Pals, but they are just the tip of the iceberg of who you will be able to woo in the game.

Dating sims have often been used as a punchline for game developers, getting a cheap laugh at the expense of a highly influential genre – the entire Persona series is basically just an elaborate dating sim – so we’re hoping that Pocketpair will put some actual effort into Palworld! More Than Just Pals. Previous years have seen Dead by Daylight and KFC knocking out uninspired dating sims to try to capitalize on the joke.

No release date for Palworld! More Than Just Pals has been confirmed, but the developer insists that it is really happening this time. The Palworld dating sim is real and coming to a PC near you.

You don't need to beat the game to prepare for the next one—here are all the major new and upcoming games coming our way.