Palworld developer shares changes made in response to Pokémon lawsuit
Palworld developer Pocketpair explained recent and upcoming changes to the game and confirmed that they result from the ongoing Nintendo and Pokémon lawsuit.
Today, Pocketpair, the development team behind last year’s breakout indie hit Palworld, shared more details about the ongoing patent infringement lawsuit brought against them by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. The statement posted to social media explained a change Pocketpair felt forced to make last year and another upcoming change that will impact how players experience the game. These changes relate to several patents that The Pokémon Company holds in Japan and recently filed for in the U.S. as well.
Palworld developer shares what changes are made to the game due to the Nintendo lawsuit
Palworld attracted thirty-two million players in the first year after its launch, a level of success that is a rarity even outside of indie games. Pocketpair has also decided to share some of this success with other developers, receiving a flood of applications when they announced their publishing company. But, it hasn’t all been perfect, especially since the announcement of this ongoing lawsuit.
In a post on social media, the Palworld developer explained that last November, when a patch was introduced to remove the action of throwing a sphere to “summon” a Pal. “As many have speculated, these changes were indeed a result of the ongoing litigation.” The post explains that the developers were disappointed that they had to make this change and understand fans' disappointment as well. “Unfortunately, as the as the alternative would have led to an even greater deterioration of the gameplay experience for players, it was determined that this change was necessary.” Pocketpair is open and honest with this statement, but it’s hard to ignore what sounds like a looming legal threat against the game.
Unfortunately, this is not the last of the changes. The upcoming patch v0.5.5 will introduce another significant change to gameplay. “From this patch onward, gliding will be performed using a glider rather than with Pals. Pals in the player’s team will still provide passive buffs to gliding, but players will now need to have a glider in their inventory in order to glide.” Pocketpair then reiterates that they understand this is a disappointing change, but emphasize it is necessary to “prevent further disruptions to the development of Palworld.”
Nintendo continues to be one of the most notorious video game companies when it comes to litigation. Earlier this week, Nintendo announced it would be going after accessory maker Genki for showing a 3D mockup of the Switch 2 prior to its reveal. Nintendo has also taken down emulators, modders, and more in the last year. It’s hard to imagine any of this will help fans feel better about having to pay $80 for Mario Kart World.
Pocketpair ended the statement on a positive note. “We remain committed to developing Palworld and delivering exciting new content to our fans. On behalf of everyone at Pocketpair and Team Palworld, thank you again for your continued support.” No matter how this lawsuit ends up, it will have lasting effects on the video game industry. Even if you aren’t a fan of Palworld or Pokémon, it’s worth keeping track of.
