Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have initiated a legal battle against Pocketpair, the Japanese studio responsible for Palworld, a game many fans refer to as “Pokémon with guns.” Palworld, released in Early Access on January 18, took the gaming world by storm with its unique concept of cute yet armed creatures. The game quickly gained traction, selling 15 million copies on Steam and attracting over 25 million players within just a month.
This lawsuit, filed in Tokyo, marks the result of an investigation The Pokémon Company launched shortly after Palworld’s release. Nintendo’s announcement stated that they are seeking compensation for damages and an injunction, claiming that Palworld infringes on several of their patents related to the Pokémon franchise.
Palworld got sued for copying Pokémon
At the center of the legal dispute is an allegation of patent infringement. Nintendo and The Pokémon Company argue that Palworld reflects Pokémon in several ways. While Palworld offers a much darker gameplay narrative where players can harm and even abuse the game’s creatures, the similarities between Palworld’s “Friends” and Pokémon’s iconic creatures seem too close for comfort in Nintendo’s eyes.
Despite Pocketpair’s claims that their game is more inspired by Ark Survival Evolved and Valheim, Pals’ physical appearance and concept are reminiscent of Pokémon characters, which Nintendo fiercely protects. With the lawsuit filed, Pocketpair will have to defend its design choices in court.
At the heart of it is admiration. For years, PC gamers haven’t been able to play the many different Pokémon games that only came out on Nintendo. And they’ve put a lot of effort into getting it on PC. So much so that Pokémon games are among the best-selling games in the world today, even though there is not a single PC game. Naturally, the game to be made for the PC of a world-famous brand will make a lot of noise. But neither The Pokémon Company nor Nintendo has such an intention. The Pokémon games released for Switch in the last two years have been both loved and heavily criticized. The brand, which has the potential to be an excellent RPG or even MMORPG, realized what it had been missing for years with the release of Palworld.
Regarding the Lawsuit
Yesterday, a lawsuit was filed against our company for patent infringement.
We have received notice of this lawsuit and will begin the appropriate legal proceedings and investigations into the claims of patent infringement.
At this moment, we are unaware…
— Palworld (@Palworld_EN) September 19, 2024
Palworld vs Pokémon
Although Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe maintains that Palworld has passed regulatory scrutiny and that he doesn’t expect any problems from the gaming giants, the lawsuit suggests otherwise. Fans have long compared Palworld to Pokémon due to its familiar look, but the two are distinctly different due to their different atmospheres. While Pokémon advocates friendship and partnership, Palworld offers harsher realities. Players can either protect their Friends or exploit them through violence and even slavery, unlike the family-friendly nature of Pokémon.
For now, it remains to be seen how this lawsuit will play out and what impact it will have on the future of Palworld. Nintendo’s aggressive defense of its intellectual property is nothing new, but this case could push the boundaries of the definitions of “parody” or “inspiration” in the gaming world.
Image credits: Palworld
