PalworldColloquially known among fans as “pokemon with gunsis in trouble. Nintendo and The Pokémon Company announced Thursday that they have filed a patent infringement lawsuit in Tokyo against PocketPair, the company behind the game, claiming that the company is filing a patent infringement suit against PocketPair. Palworld “Infringes multiple patent rights.”
This lawsuit is not entirely unexpected. PalworldPlayers catch creatures by weakening them and trapping them in Pal Spheres, which are similar to Poké Balls. Fans have also pointed out Many similarities In design between Pals and Pokémon. Players have also Nintendo’s anger flared up To create mods that make the connection obvious by including real Pokémon.
Interestingly, though, Nintendo’s statement alleges patent infringement, not copyright, which is a more serious issue. can indicate This suit might be more about game mechanics than creature design.
Palworldreleased in January, was a instant success. Within its first month, the open world survival game sold over 1,000 units. 12 million copies And it is done Microsoft’s biggest This is the biggest third-party Game Pass launch to date.
On Thursday, as news of the lawsuit spread, PocketPlayer issued a statement saying the company was “not aware of the specific patent [it is] Violations have been alleged,” but vowed to investigate the claims.
The company said it will continue to work to improve the game; it said a patch with bug fixes rolling out earlier this week. “It’s truly unfortunate that due to this lawsuit we will be forced to allocate significant time to matters related to game development,” statement “However, we will do everything possible for our fans, and ensure that indie game developers are not hindered or discouraged from pursuing their creative ideas.”
Online, fans continue to vocally support the game. One X user said, “Instead of bullying smaller companies, the people who are after you guys should make better products.” wrote in response to a post about the lawsuit written by PocketPlayer. “Nintendo really needs to be humble, and competition is healthy for everyone,” wrote Second. Others supported Nintendo, which – as Serkan Toto, CEO of games industry consultancy Kantan Games, noted on X – “Great track record (particularly in Japan) with regard to such lawsuits.”
In Past interviewsPocketPlayer CEO Takuro Mizobe has rejected claims of wrongdoing, stating “We have absolutely no intention of infringing on other companies’ intellectual property.”
Nintendo disagrees. In a statement it released, the company said it “will continue to take necessary actions against any violations of its intellectual property rights, including the Nintendo brand, in order to protect the intellectual property it has worked hard to establish over the years.” The company has a long history of doing this. What’s the biggest surprise here? That it took this long.
