Nintendo, The Pokemon Company sue ‘Palworld’ developer for patent infringement
By Bryan Ke
Nintendo and The Pokemon Company (TPC) have begun legal action against Pocketpair, the developer of the popular open-world survival game “Palworld.” The companies filed a lawsuit in the Tokyo District Court on Wednesday, seeking an injunction and damages from Pocketpair for allegedly infringing on multiple patents.
- About “Palworld”: Released on Steam Early Access and Xbox Game Preview on Jan. 19, “Palworld” sold a total of 25 million copies in its first month. Despite receiving positive reviews, the game attracted controversy over alleged similarities to “Pokemon” and claims of generative AI use for its monsters known as Pals. Without naming “Palworld,” TPC addressed the issue in January, stating it had not granted “any permission for the use of Pokemon intellectual property or assets in that game” and that it would “investigate and take appropriate measures” on the alleged infringement.
- What Pocketpair is saying: Pocketpair addressed the lawsuit in a statement on Thursday. “At this moment, we are unaware of the specific patents we are accused of infringing upon, and we have not been notified of such details,” the developer said. Describing itself as a small Tokyo-based indie game company, Pocketpair said that the suit has forced it to “allocate significant time to matters unrelated to game development.” Despite the legal challenge, the company said it will continue to pursue its goal of creating fun games for fans and ensure that independent developers “are not hindered or discouraged” from pursuing creative ideas.
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