Pocketpair has finally done it. After revealing it as an April Fools joke a few years ago, the company has officially announced that the Palworld Dating Sim – called Palworld: More Than Just Pals – is real and in active development. It even threw in a nice nod to Slay the Spire 2 in there for good measure.

In a video released to official PocketPair platforms including its YouTube channel, the announcement video shows Pocketpair head of publishing and communications Bucky debating with the company founder Takuro Mizobe. Bucky, troubled by the idea of actually making the game, is defeated by a Silent Mizobe, who plays Slay the Spire 2 throughout the entire video.

As for actual gameplay, we see a few clips of the game in-action. These include cute looking conversations with Pals and Zoe Rayne from the original game, as well as horrific moments of murder and mystique. The game will also feature a time loop narrative, with the player character shot by a cloaked Black Marketeer with a revolver. So we’re looking at a Doki Doki Literature Club sort of tone it seems!

The reason this has people excited is, as you may have surmised, it’s not a joke! While the original reveal happened on April Fools and was a goof (as are many announcements from game companies on the day), last year’s second trailer offered some genuine hope. However, today’s trailer ends with Bucky exclaiming “it’s real” putting doubts to rest permanently.

Palworld and Pocketpair have been especially busy as of late. Not only did Palworld celebrate its second anniversary recently, it’s getting a physical card game this Summer too. It also had a crossover with the excellent Ultrakill late last year, a fantastic indie game well worth checking out if you haven’t already.