Palworld was a success because it was an edgy creepypasta that also served as a middle finger to nintendo, so Geoff and pals could shill it to piss them off.
Shit like Digimon, Casette Beasts, and TemTem were trying to be their own thing.

Palworld was like FUCK YOU NINTENDO NIGGAS, WE'VE GOT AN OPEN WORLD SHOOTER SLAVERY BECAUSE CAPITALISM XDDD and then disenfranchised millennials ate it up