The video game Palworld, often referred to by its fans as "Pokémon with guns," is currently facing legal challenges. On Thursday, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company announced that they had filed a patent infringement lawsuit in Tokyo against Pocketpair, the developer of Palworld, claiming that the game infringes on multiple patent rights.
The lawsuit was somewhat anticipated. In Palworld, players capture creatures by weakening them and trapping them in Pal Spheres, which is reminiscent of the use of Poké Balls in the Pokémon series. Fans have noted several similarities in design between the creatures, known as Pals, and Pokémon. Additionally, there have been instances where modifications made by players have incorporated actual Pokémon, which has also attracted the attention of Nintendo.
Interestingly, Nintendo’s accusations are centered around patent violations rather than copyright infringement. This could imply that the lawsuit might focus more on game mechanics than the design of the creatures themselves.
Released in January, Palworld quickly achieved commercial success. It sold over 12 million copies within its first month and became Microsoft’s largest third-party Game Pass launch to date.
In response to the lawsuit, Pocketpair issued a statement indicating that it was unaware of the specific patents it had allegedly infringed upon but vowed to investigate the claims. The company also mentioned that it plans to continue improving the game, having released a patch with bug fixes earlier in the week. Pocketpair expressed regret that they will need to divert significant time from game development to address the lawsuit, but assured fans that they would strive to support indie developers in pursuing their creative ideas.
Supporters of Palworld have vocally backed the game online. Some comments criticized Nintendo, suggesting the company needs to embrace competition, while others defended Nintendo’s actions, pointing to its established track record of protecting its intellectual properties.
Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe, in previous interviews, has stated that the company has no intentions of infringing on the intellectual property of other companies. Conversely, Nintendo, in its statement, emphasized that it would continue to act against any infringement on its intellectual property rights to protect the Nintendo brand and the properties it has developed over the years. The company’s commitment to such protective measures has a long-standing history, indicating that this legal action was expected by some industry observers.
