Nintendo Files Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against Pokémon-Like Palworld

Well, it was bound to happen. Palworld, the smash hit Pokémon-like multiplayer survival game, has officially caught Nintendo’s attention. In a lawsuit filed this week, Nintendo subsidiary The Pokémon Company is accusing Palworld developer Pocketpair of patent infringement, setting the stage for what could be a lengthy legal battle over the game’s creature designs.

“This lawsuit seeks 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,” Nintendo announced. “Nintendo will continue to take necessary actions to protect the intellectual properties it has worked hard to establish over the years.” And we all know how tenacious Nintendo can get over alleged Pokémon clones.

From the moment Palworld dropped earlier this year, selling over seven million copies in its first week, fans of Pokémon couldn’t help but notice striking similarities between the two games. Some players affectionately dubbed Palworld the “Pokémon with guns” game, while others questioned just how closely it resembled Nintendo’s iconic monster-catching series.

In response to the growing debate, Pocketpair’s lead developer Takuro Mizobe was quick to push back. “We have no intention of infringing upon the intellectual property of other companies,” Mizobe stated earlier this year, calling the allegations “slanderous.”

Despite Mizobe’s confidence, Nintendo has finally decided to fire the first shot, about eight months after Palworld’s release. The Pokémon Company hinted it was investigating possible intellectual property violations as early as January but hasn’t taken legal action until now.

Reactions from the community have been mixed, with some siding with Nintendo while others find the lawsuit overreaching. Business lawyer Richard Hoeg voiced his skepticism on X, saying, “Palworld is such a different type of game from Pokémon, it’s hard to imagine what patents (*not* copyrights) might have been even plausibly infringed. Initial gut reaction is Nintendo may be reaching.”

Whether Nintendo’s case holds water remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure—this won’t be the last we hear of Palworld vs. Pokémon. Stay tuned as the legal battle unfolds.