Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Pocketpair in Tokyo. Pocketpair, the Japanese video game developer behind Palworld, a game described as a Pokémon parody with cute gun-toting monsters, gained instant popularity upon its release in Early Access form, selling 15 million copies on Steam and attracting 25 million players within a month. Following the release of Palworld, The Pokémon Company announced an investigation into a game released in January 2024 and later decided to take legal action against Pocketpair for allegedly infringing on Pokémon-related intellectual property rights. In response, Nintendo stated the lawsuit aims for an injunction against infringement and compensation for damages due to Palworld’s alleged patent rights violations. Despite Pocketpair’s claim that Palworld is more similar to Ark Survival Evolved and Vanaheim than Pokémon, the game’s darker tone allows players to befriend or harm the monsters, known as “Pals,” by engaging in activities like fighting to the death or selling them into slavery.
