GamesRPGPalworldJust as it looked like Palworld might escape Nintendo’s gaze, the lawsuit has been filed: Nintendo is suing Pocketpair for patent infringementWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesRPGPalworldJust as it looked like Palworld might escape Nintendo’s gaze, the lawsuit has been filed: Nintendo is suing Pocketpair for patent infringementWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Pocketpair)
Nintendo has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Pocketpair, the studio responsible for Palworld. Palworld, of course, is heavily reminiscent of the Pokémon series, and has attracted a fair bit of criticism—and passionate defence—for how closely some of its creatures resemble those found in Nintendo’s brand.
The debate over whether Palworld is a blatant Pokémon rip-off or a charming parody started as soon as the game launched in January, when it managed to sell over four million copies within a week. New games hoping to capitalise on the success of wildly popular older games is nothing new, but for some, Palworld seemed too indebted to Pokemon for comfort. Some commentators compared Pokémon 3D model meshes with Palworld’s, prompting Pocketpair dev lead Takuro Mizobeto assurethe public that the studio “has no intention of infringing upon the intellectual property of other companies.” (He also called the accusations “slanderous”.)
Before the month was out it was clear the lion had been prodded. Nintendo—or specifically, Nintendo’s The Pokémon Company—announcedthat it would “investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on the intellectual property rights related to the Pokémon”.
Since then the discourse surrounding the game has calmed. In June,Mizobe told GameFilethe studio had heard “nothing at all” about any potential lawsuit. It’s taken Nintendo around eight months to finally pull the trigger on legal action, and in true Nintendo fashion, they’ll fight this vehemently.
The announcement has elicited some interesting reactions on social media. Business lawyer Richard Hoegwrote on Xthat, while it’s too early to know what’s at stake, Nintendo may have a challenge ahead. “Probably going to need more specifics before I can comment more completely, but Palworld is such a different type of game from Pokémon, it’s hard to imagine what patents (not copyrights) might have been even plausibly infringed. Initial gut reaction is Nintendo may be reaching.”
We’ve reached out to Nintendo and Pocketpair for comment.
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