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Collage style image of Pikachu and one of the monsters from Palworld

Nintendo Slams Palworld With Massive Patent Lawsuit

What could this mean for the future of Palworld?

Nintendo and the Pokemon Company have officially announced that they will be suing the comapny behind Palworld, Pocketpair, for patent infringement. Fans have been speculating since Palword dropped if Nintendo would go after the company for some of the game’s scarily similar creature designs and aesthetic.

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In January, The Pokemon Company confirmed that they were looking into allegations of infringement, and as officially announced by Nintendo on September 19, 2024, they’re officially opening up a lawsuit to protect their IP.

Collage-style-image-featuring-official-artwork-from-the-Pokemon-Mystery-Dungeon-titles-as-well-as-Red-from-Pokemon

Officially filed by the Tokyo District Court, the lawsuit is seeking compensation for Palworld allegedly caused by Pocketpair infringing on game’s core game design.

This lawsuit seeks an injunction against infringement and compensation for damages on the ground that Palworld, a game developed by the Defendant, infringed multiple patent rights.

Nintendo

Currently, there are no specific details regarding what exactly The Pokemon Company is going after Pocketpair for, nor is there any public record of the lawsuit as of writing. Palworld has been the target of scrutiny since it launched, with many players noticing the similarities between Palworld‘s character designs, as well as the overall aesthetic of the game’s world. Additionally, the catching mechanic in the game is also eerily similar to that of Pokemon.

As of writing, Pocketpair made a minor statement regarding the lawsuit, calling it “truly unfortunate”. Until more context is given for what Nintendo is going after Pocketpair for, and the evidence they provide, fans will need to form their own opinions on the situation.


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Anna Williams
Anna Williams -- not to be confused with the Tekken character -- is an editor and writer that has been working closely with the anime and manga industry for over four years for a variety of publications including Comic Book Resources, Screen Rant, and We Got This Covered. She has had the opportunity to sit down and talk with key figures in the industry, and continue to grow a vast knowledge of the art and culture that goes into each new seasonal and ongoing franchise. She's also had the opportunity to work alongside indie game developers like Baroque Decay to edit and localize early devlog materials for their upcoming game Catechesis.