Developer Pocketpair has announced the results of its latest global community poll for Palworld, naming the kitty-shaped character Sekhmet as the undisputed winner of the competition. According to the studio, Sekhmet captured the top spot with a commanding 49,637 votes from players worldwide.
Competition for the crown was fierce across the community. Solenne secured second place with a total of 37,425 votes, while fan-favorite Chillet rounded out the podium in third with 34,625 votes. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Verdash finished at the bottom of the rankings, drawing just 1,479 votes despite its distinctive green hairstyle.
Alongside the poll results, Pocketpair offered an early glimpse into the game’s upcoming winter release, titled Palworld: Side by Side. Rather than showing gameplay footage, the developer released a teaser featuring three human silhouettes, immediately triggering widespread speculation and discussion across community forums such as Reddit. Current fan theories suggest the shadowed figures represent Auri, Zoe, and Saya. Because all three already serve as in-game tower bosses and faction leaders, and because Pocketpair previously made Zoe a recruitable companion following an earlier poll, players speculate that the upcoming update may allow them to team up with the trio directly.
The winter update follows comments made earlier in the year regarding the studio’s release schedule and development plans. Speaking at Gamescom in August, Pocketpair head of publishing and communications John “Bucky” Buckley discussed the studio’s timeline in an interview, noting that the upcoming content features a long-requested addition that the team previously considered for version 1.0 before determining it would delay the project too significantly.
Buckley also indicated that scheduling decisions for the release were made with an eye on the broader gaming calendar, specifically avoiding the crowded November release window. While describing the upcoming addition as something exciting that fans have wanted for a long time, Buckley clarified that the update is relatively modest in scale. Developers confirmed that players will not need to restart their games to experience the new content, and marketing campaigns for the release are expected to begin soon, though the studio has not formally confirmed whether the teased feature corresponds directly to the Side by Side project.
