Palworld devs hit with Nintendo and Pokemon lawsuit after all
After looking like Palworld had escaped the legal wrath of Nintendo, the Pokemon creator has officially filed a lawsuit.
19th Sep 2024 10:23
Images via Pocketpair | The Pokemon Company
Palworld devs hit with Nintendo and Pokemon lawsuit after all
After looking like Palworld had escaped the legal wrath of Nintendo, the Pokemon creator has officially filed a lawsuit.
19th Sep 2024 10:23
Images via Pocketpair | The Pokemon Company
Just when we thought Palworld had escaped those notoriously litigious legal eagles over at Nintendo, the House that Mario built is officially taking action. It seems the unofficial tagline of "Pokemon with guns" has caught up to Palworld, with Nintendo coming down hard on this Poke-inspired monster-catcher.
Even before Palworld released in January 2024, there were worries that its comparisons to Pokemon could get it in hot water. With the likes of Pengullet, Grintale, and Anubis being dead ringers for Piplup, Galarian Meowth, and Lucario, we felt it was only matter of time until Nintendo took action.
Nintendo makes moves against Palworld
Nintendo posted a statement on its website on September 18, confirming it's seeking compensation for damages from Pocketpair, citing "patent infringement." It maintains that there have been multiple patent infringements, which hints it's more than just the similar designs between Palworld's Pals and Pokemon's Pocket Monsters.
The statement explains, "Nintendo will continue to take necessary actions against any infringement of its intellectual property rights including the Nintendo brand itself, to protect the intellectual properties it has worked hard to establish over the years."
Nintendo is seeking an injunction against Palworld, suggesting that its future could be bleak. Palworld has been everywhere since launch, and as well as breaking Steam records, there has been a recent buzz about a potential PlayStation 5 release. It's possible Nintendo is striking now before Palworld gets any bigger.
Pocketpair has since responded in a lengthy tweet on the Palworld X account and said that it is currently 'unaware' of which specific patents it's supposedly infringed. The developer has reiterated it's a small studio that will continue its goal to create games because, "We know that our games bring joy to millions of gamers around the world."
It comes after a Pokemon x Palworld mod was pulled - adding actual versions of Nintendo's Pocket Monsters to the game. However, it was around this time that Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe said he wasn't worried by the threat of legal action. Although Mizobe confirmed that Nintendo hadn't taken things further in June, he might've spoken too soon.
Palworld is still in early access, but given Nintendo's legal legacy, it could be joining Pocketpair's Craftopia as titles that never get a full release. Despite the devs' grand plans to keep Palworld ticking (possibly even going free-to-play), we wouldn't fancy anyone's chances against Nintendo.
About The Author
Tom Chapman
Tom is Trending News Editor at GGRecon, with an NCTJ qualification in Broadcast Journalism and over seven years of experience writing about film, gaming, and television. With bylines at IGN, Digital Spy, Den of Geek, and more, Tom’s love of horror means he's well-versed in all things Resident Evil, with aspirations to be the next Chris Redfield.
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