Broadening Our Store with Care, and our first Free Pet!

From day one, cosmetics have been Palia’s single source of revenue. That focus kept the business model simple, straightforward, and clean. But this approach came with a trade-off: every time we considered giving away things like outfits or pets, we were putting our only paycheck on the line - slicing into the only revenue that keeps servers humming and content in production. So we’ve played it safe.

With the Elderwood Expansion (Patch 0.191) we’re exploring an experiment in gameplay-oriented purchases with Courier pet functionality. We feel this is a type of utility that is both fun and valuable for those who want it, but also won’t cause problems for those who don’t want it or can’t buy it. But at the end of the day, we feel creating a second income stream matters for three reasons:

1. Less all-eggs-in-one-basket risk: By spreading income across both cosmetics and light‑utility items, it cushions us against the ups and downs of any single category - giving us steadier resources to keep Palia growing.
2. Breathing room to add earnable items from premium categories: The added stability lets us add certain earnable, otherwise-premium cosmetic items into major updates, quests, and other events - opportunities we felt were too risky before. But to be crystal-clear: we still want to be cautious as we explore this.
3. Support options for every kind of player: We don’t want to gate Palia - including supporting it financially - behind single preferences. We’ve gotten feedback that cosmetics don’t excite some who want to contribute, so we’re hoping light gameplay purchases give another avenue for folks who feel that way.

In short, expanding the shop lets all kinds of players support Palia however they can, creates bigger updates for everyone, and carefully opens the door to limited freebies that used to be strictly premium.

But more importantly, with this small shift we’re happy to announce that our first fully earnable pet will be coming to Palia in Patch 0.192, and once earned will unlock Courier pet functionality as well, ensuring folks who don’t want to spend aren’t left out. We don’t want to spoil how you get it because it’s part of the Elderwood quest line, but you can look forward to that in the second Elderwood Patch (0.192).

Thanks for helping us keep Palia thriving.