Krafton to Bring Palworld to Mobile Despite Ongoing Nintendo Lawsuit

Palworld, the quirky survival-crafting game that mashes up Pokémon-like creatures with heavy artillery, is coming to mobile devices, thanks to PUBG developer Krafton. Yes, the same Palworld that’s currently in the hot seat with Nintendo over some suspiciously familiar gameplay mechanics.

Krafton announced that PUBG Corporation will be handling the mobile adaptation, promising to “faithfully reinterpret and implement the original’s main fun elements to fit the mobile environment.” Translation: get ready to wrangle cute creatures while wielding bazookas on the go.

Originally released on PC and consoles, Palworld has already drawn a massive audience, particularly in China, where free-to-play mobile games dominate the market. Krafton’s move to mobile feels like a natural fit, though it raises questions about whether Palworld will adopt a free-to-play model similar to PUBG Mobile.

Of course, the shadow looming over all of this is Nintendo’s ongoing patent infringement lawsuit against Palworld developer Pocketpair. The lawsuit, currently confined to Japan, claims Palworld infringes on certain Pokémon patents. But so far, that legal scuffle hasn’t stopped Pocketpair from expanding the game’s reach.

Krafton is no stranger to this kind of legal turbulence, having navigated similar waters with other games like Dark and Darker’s mobile port. Whether this lawsuit will affect Palworld’s mobile launch remains to be seen, but for now, fans can expect to see the smash-hit creature-collecting title on mobile devices soon.