Nintendo files patent-infringement lawsuit against Palworld developer

PocketPair claims that it's unaware of what specific patents its debut game franchise is infringing upon.
September 19, 2024

Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have come together to wage a lawsuit against Japanese game developer Pocketpair and its open-world survival game Palworld

Filed in the Tokyo District Court yesterday, the suit claims that Palworld infringes upon several of existing patents belonging to Nintendo, which is seeking compensation for damages and an injunction that could shut down the game. 

Notably, Nintendo is not suing because of Palworld‘s character designs—which are inspired by the now-iconic Pokémon art style—but rather its gameplay mechanics, which are all about capturing monsters with balls and battling gym leaders to progress through the levels. 

Responding to Nintendo’s allegations, Pocketpair says it’s unaware of what specific patents it’s accused of infringing on, adding that it has received no updates from Nintendo. In the meantime, Pocketpair says it will continue to develop new game content. 

Palworld launched in January, and its user base ballooned to more than 25 million players on Xbox and PC under a month. In the game, players capture, breed and battle with monsters called “Pals” that they can equip with weapons to make them stronger. 

On the heels of Palworld‘s initial success, Pocketpair struck a deal with Sony Music Entertainment and Aniplex to launch the joint-venture Palworld Entertainment, which handles anime, movie and merchandising rights for the gaming IP. 

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