26 JANUARY 2024
Welcome to this week’s edition of Culture Wire, a newsletter brought to you by Singapore-based pop culture and lifestyle marketing agency Culture Group.
In this week’s edition:
- Innovation of the Week: The hit game that blurs the line between inspiration & imitation
- Fax, No Printer: Which surprising act was announced in the 2024 Coachella lineup?
- Regional Round-up: Free concert shuttles, collectible drink bottles, and more
Innovation of the Week
⚡️GOTTA CATCH ‘EM ALL
Palworld is the game of the moment, selling more than 7M copies in just 5 days. It was released on January 18 by Japanese indie video game developer PocketPair and has already surpassed 2M concurrent users on Steam. Only one game—PUBG: Battlegrounds—has ever drawn more Steam players at once. The gameplay involves players capturing colorful creatures called ‘pals’ through combat (which involves guns, and sometimes pals with guns) bringing them along while exploring and battling. Other pals are assigned to work on your base, where they build things and harvest materials. And yes, it sounds and looks familiar—the game is being described as ‘Pokémon with guns.’
💡 OUR TAKE
The game’s success has come with its fair share of controversy, one being the resemblance of the characters in Palworld to those in Pokémon. As a result, PocketPair has been accused of plagiarizing Pokémon, in particular using generative AI to create the characters (which critics have dubbed Fakémon). Long-time Pokémon fans have taken to social media to compare the entire list of 111 pals while others have pointed out that Pokémon has also drawn inspiration from Dragon Quest. While the developer has had a history of releasing games that look a lot like other games, the Palworld lead has come forward to debunk legal concerns.
Controversy aside, the reason why the game is doing so well is down to gamers enjoying the gameplay, sharing their new passion with their friends—growing the player base at pace. Conversely, the once more popular Pokémon has been around for quite some time now, many fans have since outgrown the formulaic approach that developer Game Freak has utilized. The Palworld developers have capitalized on this discontent to deliver new experiences and improvements that many fans have been asking for.
In the creation of Palworld, it could be hypothesized that PocketPair has cannily capitalized on a consistent desire of Pokémon players: for the game franchise to grow up with them; refreshing the gameplay by taking elements from other exciting games such as ARK: Survival Evolved and RUST.
Similar to many games that hit it big in the past few years, Palworld also has a big multiplayer element (that’s been lacking in Pokémon, according to our resident gamer)—allowing players to experience it with their friends.
While the game has successfully harnessed the power of nostalgia, capturing a rapidly growing audience in the process, the launch isn’t without its flaws—we’ll be watching to see how it develops.
The success of Palworld provides a few lessons for brands looking to go from zero to hero: finding the line between invention vs. innovation, owning the difference between inspiration and imitation, and above all listening to the evolving needs of a fandom as it develops over time.
Fax, No Printer*
For those of you born before 1997, ‘fax, no printer‘ is Gen Z speak for ‘undeniable facts I agree with’
Which surprising act was announced as part of the 2024 Coachella lineup?
A. LE SSERAFIM
B. Hatsune Miku
C. No Doubt
Scroll down to the end of the newsletter for the correct answer!
Regional Round-up
🚌 Coldplay kicked off 2024’s schedule of big global acts coming to the region this week. The sold-out shows in Singapore delivered the visual spectacle expected, but the experience of leaving the venue was less than ideal. This hopefully was quelled by Grab’s free shuttles to help fans “beat the crowd and travel green”—echoing the tour’s sustainability efforts. Brands would do well to ‘show up’ at these live events that represent huge pop culture moments for their next big opportunity, whether as official sponsors, or by providing utility to fans in consistent times of need outside of the official arena.
🥤 The highly collectible bottles of PRIME, created by YouTubers Logan Paul and KSI, are now stocked at local Singapore supermarket chain NTUC. From boxing to gaming, both founders have a presence across several passion points. For their fans, PRIME is not just a drink but a connection to their favorite influencer and, by extension, an embodiment of these passion points. Being able to get the drink physically vs. online makes that connection feel more real—how can your brand facilitate access to passion points?
👻 Horror icons in Thai culture will come together in the Siam Cinematic Universe. Likely drawing inspiration from popular superhero franchises like Marvel and DC, this represents a fresh way to weave local folklore into a well-known format where multiple stories can exist together. The region is rich in culture where local stories can be retold in suprising ways for a new generation of audience—how could your brand modernize local culture?
🎮 Hijab-wearing gamers in Malaysia were spotlighted and celebrated in Safi’s latest perfumed hair mist launch, encouraging them to “Sembur (spray), Play, Slay!” The stage was also set for them to compete in the first-ever hijabi-only PUBG Mobile championship tournament. Professional female gamers are gaining prominence, and there are endless opportunities out there beyond esports to empower women in male-dominated spaces.
🏳️🌈 More on the topic of representation… an Indonesian host quit a TV show after being criticized for “dressing like a woman.” This comes amidst a wider call by the LGBTQ community for presidential nominees to address their rights ahead of the elections. With 2024 projected to be the biggest election year in history, can your brand help marginalized voters make their voices heard?
This Week's Trivia Answer
B. Hatsune Miku
Announced as part of the 2024 Coachella lineup, holographic Japanese Idol Hatsune Miku will finally debut at one of the biggest music and arts festivals. The digital AI popstar was initially slated to perform at Coachella in 2020, which was canceled because of the pandemic. Fans are ecstatic, to say the least—some are willing to pay for a ticket (infamous for being expensive; prices start from USD $499) just to see her perform.
Hatsune Miku is a singing vocal synthesizer software called a Vocaloid that fans use to make her sing text commands. With a steady fanbase since 2007 and routinely selling out arenas in Japan, some believe the long-awaited inclusion of the holographic singer can be attributed to a push for more diverse and international acts at the festival (hello BLACKPINK).
🚀 Over and Out!
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Your Culture Mavens,
Angela, Kiko, Ross, Teri, & Vicki
