Cliff Bleszinski, known for his work on the Gears of War franchise, recently took to Twitter to share details about a past game pitch that never came to fruition. The concept, described as “medieval Pokémon with baby dragons instead,” bears a striking resemblance to the recently successful indie title Palworld. The pitch was years ago but would likely have done well with the publisher.
Bleszinski revealed that he pitched this idea to Epic Games “many years ago,” but it ultimately “never went anywhere.” He further clarified that the pitch was initially intended for mobile platforms. While Epic apparently didn’t greenlight the project, Bleszinski noted that they now hold the rights to the overall concept. We may actually see a Palworld rival from Epic Games if they decide to push the pitch forward.
This revelation comes on the heels of Palworld’s explosive popularity. The monster-taming and automation game, featuring a world populated with creatures reminiscent of Pokémon, has garnered significant critical and commercial success since its Early Access launch. Bleszinski acknowledged this in his tweets, stating that Palworld’s positive reception “kinda validates” his rejected pitch.
Beyond the “medieval Pokémon” concept, Bleszinski also mentioned another abandoned project from his time at Epic. This unnamed title, described as an open-world game about a girl controlling the world at a molecular level, was ultimately canceled during development.
We would love to see a Triple A developer take the idea of a medieval dragon catcher game and bring it to life. There have been many attempts to do something similar, but it’s hard to imagine that a studio with Epic Games’ resources wouldn’t do well with the idea.
Even still, Bleszinski’s tweets offer a window into the realities of game development, where even promising ideas from big names can face rejection. It’s still unclear whether these specific concepts will ever come to fruition, but their connection to a current gaming trend makes us wonder.
