Palworld developer Pocketpair said Thursday it has had to make changes to its survival game in light of Nintendo’s patent infringement lawsuit filed last year. The Japanese studio confirmed significant alterations to gameplay features and mechanics in Palworld that Nintendo and The Pokémon Company alleged infringed on their intellectual property. The changes were “necessary” to avoid further degradation of the gameplay experience and disruption to Palworld development and distribution, Pocketpair said.
Palworld Patched in Light of Lawsuit
A patch released on November 30, 2024, removed the ability to summon Pals, the Pokémon-style creatures in Palworld, by throwing Pal Spheres, changing the mechanic to a static summon next to the player, Pocketpair said in a blog post on its website. Last year, Nintendo had alleged in its lawsuit that this particulate mechanic represented one of three instances of patent infringement in the survival-action game. Patch v0.3.11 also included other changes in response to the lawsuit.
Additionally, Pocketpair said Palworld’s newest patch would implement yet another gameplay “compromise”. With Patch v0.5.5, Pals can no longer be utilised for gliding, which can only be performed using a glider present in the player’s inventory. Pals, however, will still be able to provide passive buffs to gliding, the company said.
“We understand that this will be disappointing for many, just as it is for us, but we hope our fans understand that these changes are necessary in order to prevent further disruptions to the development of Palworld,” Pocketpair said.
The company said it was “disappointed” that changes had to be made to Palworld, but said it would continue to dispute Nintendo’s claims in the lawsuit.
“We also want to extend our apologies to our fans for the discomfort and concern this ongoing litigation has caused. We remain committed to developing Palworld and delivering exciting new content to our fans,” The Palworld developer added.
Palworld Patent Infringement Lawsuit
Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed a lawsuit against Pocketpair in September 2024, alleging Palworld infringed upon three specific patents. The companies are seeking an injunction on the survival game, that features monsters that bear alleged similarities to the creatures from the Pokémon franchise. Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are also seeking damages from Pocketpair to the tune of over JPY 5 million (roughly Rs. 27.7 lakh).
Palworld became a breakout hit on Steam and Xbox when it launched in January 2024. The game, however, attracted plagiarism accusations over its creature designs and certain mechanics that seemed to resemble games from the Pokémon franchise. The survival title features Pokémon-style animals, or Pals, that can be captured and tamed for combat, traversal and base building in the game’s open world, thus attracting the moniker “Pokémon with Guns.”
Despite its ongoing legal troubles, Palworld remains incredibly popular. Earlier this year, Pocketpair confirmed that game had crossed 32 million players on Steam, PS5 and Xbox.
