Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Pocketpair, making the game Pal World.
Nintendo Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kyoto, Minami-ku, Japan; Representative Director and President: Shuntaro Furukawa, hereinafter “Nintendo”), together with The Pokémon Company, filed a patent infringement lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court against Pocketpair, Inc. (10-2 Higashigotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, “Defendant”) on September 18, 2024.
This action seeks an injunction against infringement and damages, alleging that Palworld, a game developed and released by Defendant, infringes multiple patent rights.
Pocketpair did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Pal Worldwhich is still in early access, became one of the first big gaming hits of 2024 when it was released in Januaryselling more than five million copies in three days.
The survival/crafting game, which has been described as “Pokémon with weapons”, his character works with monsters (“Pals”). But some Palworld monster designs are notably similar for Pokémon, and people almost immediately shouted Pal World by apparent imitations.