Nintendo is notoriously litigious. So when the game Palworld—a title often described by fans and detractors alike as “Pokémon With Guns”—came onto the scene, few expected the Japanese games giant to stand idly by. The shoe finally dropped late on Wednesday, as Nintendo declared it was suing Pocketpair, the makers of Palworld, for allegedly infringing on its intellectual property rights. The only surprising thing about this news is how long it took to get here.
In its release, Nintendo said it’s seeking “an injunction against infringement and compensation for damages on the grounds that Palworld, a game developed and released by the Defendant, infringes multiple patent rights.”
In response, Pocketpair issued a statement on its website saying it would start “investigations” into the patent infringement claims.
“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 Tokyo-based indie game developer wrote.
The company further said it was planning to keep developing games while the lawsuit plays out, though it did not share any specific plans for Palworld.
“It is truly unfortunate that we will be forced to allocate significant time to matters unrelated to game development due to this lawsuit,” the company wrote. “However, we will do our utmost for our fans, and to ensure that indie game developers are not hindered or discouraged from pursuing their creative ideas.”
Palworld launched earlier this year and quickly became a viral hit. The gameplay is very typical of your average early-access survival crafting game, with tech trees, hunger bars, and clunky UI.
The Pokémon element came in the form of creatures you could smack over the head enough times to capture them in a “Pal Sphere.” Players then either use them to fight other Pals or put them to work in literal labor camps. Once a player acquires enough materials, they can craft weapons likes spears, handguns, assault rifles, and rocket launchers.
Pocketpair’s smash hit also drew comparisons to fellow survival game Ark: Survival Evolved and FromSoftware’s Elden Ring. Some Twitter users brought the Pokémon comparisons front and center by comparing their 3D models to those of their supposed pocket monsters counterparts. Some with 3D modeling experience accused the indie developer of referencing Pokémon’s models when developing their own.
Boltmane / Luxray (2/3) pic.twitter.com/tLSYArt4Cv
— ProjectAlpha22 🏳️🌈 (@ProjectAlpha22) January 28, 2024
Nintendo tends to throw its legal weight around whenever it spies a threat to its intellectual property. Earlier this year, it shut down the Yuzu Nintendo Switch emulator and forced the small group of developers behind it to pay a $2.4 million fine. The legacy Japanese game company also put an end to the aftermarket Switch modding group Team-Xecuter and helped put one of the group’s community managers, Gary Bowser, behind bars. Feds released Bowser from prison last year, but he still owes Nintendo millions of dollars in damages.
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