Nintendo (in collaboration with The Pokémon Company) is going after Pocketpair for its open world survival mega-hit Palworld , claiming the game infringes on multiple patents. The company is seeking an injunction and damages in the suit.
In a press release (translated by Google Translate) released this evening, the company states “In order to protect the valuable intellectual property that we have built up through many years of hard work, we will continue to take the necessary measures against any infringement of our intellectual property, including our brand.” The statement notes that the suit was filed on September 18 in the Tokyo District Court.
No specific patents are listed in the release.
Is Palworld so much “Pokémon with guns” that Nintendo has a case?
Some similarities to the Pokémon franchise left developers wondering if Nintendo and The Pokémon Company would take legal action.
Palworld was notoriously (and somewhat affectionately) referred to as ” Pokémon with Guns ,” or ” edgy Pokémon ” when it first arrived on the scene earlier this year. It’s been a runaway success, with over 25 million players in its first month alone.
Nintendo, for its part, has quite a litigious reputation. The corporation has gone after everyone from Blockbuster video in the 90s (in a supposed bid to stop the game rental business) to fan game creators. Palworld has had its attention ever since launch , but the suit is the first we’ve heard of actual legal action taken on the part of the publisher.
About the Author
Editor-in-Chief, GameDeveloper.com
Danielle is the editor-in-chief of Game Developer, with previous editorial posts at Fanbyte, VICE, and Polygon. She’s also a lecturer in game design at the Berklee College of Music, and a hobbyist game developer in her spare time.
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