Originally released in Early Access back in January 2024, Pocketpair’s open-world action-adventure monster catching/training game Palworld gained quick traction on the PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. Generally well received by the gaming community at launch, and obtaining the nickname “Pokémon with guns” by some – since launch the game had received some allegations about potential plagiarism, but following an initial statement from The Pokemon Company on 24 January 2024 that they “intend to investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to the Pokémon”, nothing else was publicly actioned… until this week.
Nintendo issued a statement via their Japanese corporate website, stating that they have filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Pocketpair Inc. The full statement can be found HERE. To summarise, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have filed the lawsuit against PocketPair in the Tokyo District Court, claiming that the game Palworld violates several of their patents. They are seeking to stop the alleged infringement and pursue damages.
Limited additional information is known at this point, although Pocketpair Inc. have shared a public statement, sharing that they “will begin the appropriate legal proceedings and investigations into the claims of patent infringement”, “are unaware of the specific patents (they) are accused of infringing upon, and (they’ve) not been notified of such details”. Their full statement can be read HERE.
