Nintendo, Pokémon Company Formally Sue Palworld Developer Over ‘Multiple’ Patent Violations

It’s official: Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are taking legal action against Pocketpair, the developer of Palworld.

Companies file a lawsuit People filed a lawsuit against the developer today, September 18, seeking “an injunction against infringement and compensatory damages on the grounds that Palworld, a game developed and published by Defendant, infringes multiple patent rights.”

We have published a press release titled “Patent Infringement Lawsuit Filed Against Pocketpair, Inc.”https://t.co/76ttENZXtv

— 任天堂株式会社(企業広報・IR) (@NintendoCoLtd) September 18, 2024

“Nintendo will continue to take action against any infringement of its intellectual property rights, including the Nintendo brand itself, to protect the intellectual property it has worked so hard to create over the years,” Nintendo said in a statement.

The announcement is huge news and comes after months of speculation that Nintendo would take legal action over the indie survival game, which has been referred to as “Pokémon with guns.” Nintendo previously issued a statement about Palworld in January, pledging that it intended to “investigate and take appropriate action” against any content that might infringe on intellectual property rights. One modder also claimed that “Nintendo came for me” after posting a video of Ash Ketchum from Pokémon in Palworld.

But six months later, in June, Pocket Bear insisted that Nintendo had yet to file a complaint in response to the “Pokémon imitation” allegations. “Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have not told us anything,” Pocket Bear President Takuro Mizube said. Game file At that time. “Of course I love and respect Pokémon. I grew up with it in my generation.”

Palworld launched in early access in January 2024 on PC via Steam and on Xbox as a Game Pass title on day one and was an overnight success, but also sparked controversy. Pokémon fans were quick to point out the similarities in Palworld, though the indie developer insists that Palworld is closer to survival-making games like Ark Survival Evolved and Valheim than Pokémon. Pocketpair’s community manager even said the team had received death threats due to the backlash.

IGN has reached out to Pocketpair for comment.

In our Early Access review, we acknowledged that Palworld “may borrow a lot from Pokémon homework, but the deep survival mechanics and funny attitude make it hard to stop playing.”

Alex Steadman is a senior news editor at IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.