Palworld, often referred to by fans as “Pokémon with guns,” is facing legal troubles. Nintendo and The Pokémon Company announced on Thursday that they have filed a patent infringement lawsuit in Tokyo against Pocketpair, the developer of the game, alleging that Palworld violates several patent rights.
The lawsuit was somewhat anticipated given the game’s mechanics. In Palworld, players capture creatures by weakening them and then trapping them in items called Pal Spheres, which bear a resemblance to Pokémon’s Poké Balls. Observers have noted numerous design similarities between Pals and Pokémon, and some players have created modifications that blatantly include actual Pokémon, drawing Nintendo’s attention.
Interestingly, Nintendo’s complaint focuses on patent rights rather than copyright violations, suggesting that the case may center more on game mechanics than character designs.
Since its release in January, Palworld has achieved remarkable success, selling over 12 million copies within its first month and becoming the largest third-party Game Pass launch for Microsoft.
In response to the lawsuit, Pocketpair issued a statement indicating that they were unaware of the specific patents being referenced but promised to investigate the claims. The company expressed its intention to continue improving the game, noting they had rolled out a bug-fix patch earlier in the week. They stated, “It is truly unfortunate that we will be forced to allocate significant time to matters unrelated to game development due to this lawsuit. However, we will do our utmost for our fans, and to ensure that indie game developers are not hindered or discouraged from pursuing their creative ideas.”
Support for Pocketpair remains strong among fans online, with comments urging Nintendo to focus on improving their own products instead of targeting smaller companies. Others pointed out that competition is healthy and expressed feelings that Nintendo should recognize its position. Conversely, some supported Nintendo, highlighting its well-established approach to protecting its intellectual property.
Pocketpair’s CEO, Takuro Mizobe, has previously rejected the notion of any wrongdoing, declaring that the company intends to respect the intellectual property of others. However, Nintendo remains firm in its stance, stating that it will continue to take necessary actions against any infringement of its intellectual property rights, aimed at safeguarding the brand it has built over the years. This legal move, many observers note, comes as no surprise given Nintendo’s history of protecting its assets fiercely.