The stylish upcoming MMORPG Palia is an open-world community simulation game with a few notable features teased by developers. Among these new features is a unique approach to character creation, in which players do not choose to be "male" or "female" – instead, players choose a body type to customize, without the restrictions of the gender binary.
According to a question-and-answer session on the Palia Discord channel with developers from Singularity 6, the game's character creation tool will stray away from forcing players to choose gendered options and instead make those options available to everybody. Hairstyles, clothing, and body types are available to both in Palia, but each body type has a particular set of faces associated with it. Developers said these some of these faces are "more masculine-presenting" while others are "more feminine."
Other details of the capabilities of the character creator were left relatively vague by developers from Singularity 6. The team did not confirm whether there will be multiple races, whether there will be titles, or what other customizations will be present in the character creation tool. According to one developer, Singularity 6 has been "researching and concepting not just... different skin tones but also a wider variety of facial structures/features," though these Palia features are still under development.
While there is little information on the new MMORPG, Singularity 6 revealed much more about Palia in the Discord QnA as well. The game takes inspiration from casual simulators like Stardew Valley and the Animal Crossing franchise, but it also takes inspiration from classic MMOs like World of Warcraft. The game will have extensive skill systems, a simulated world with a day/night cycle and totally open cities, and Breath of the Wild-like exploration and progression – all paired with a vibrant and unique art style.
The new approach to gender in character creation is not wholly unique to Palia, and has become a more popular feature in recent RPGs. Cyberpunk 2077 featured a robust gender-inclusive character creation tool, and games like Splatoon 3 allow male and female options on whichever character players please, unrestricted. Though Palia is in early development, the team seemed to stress this aspect of the character creation tool above all others and appears to be a primary focus.
Singularity 6, which includes a number of former Blizzard and Riot devs, stressed that not all information revealed in the Discord is 100% accurate, and reminded interested players that "we're human too, and could be wrong," referring to the extremely early stage of the game's development. Palia is currently in the pre-alpha stage with extremely limited public testing. To enter the public test, interested players can visit the Palia website for a chance to get into the pre-alpha.
Palia is in development for PC.