Palworld developer Pocketpair responded defiantly to a lawsuit launched by Nintendo, saying, “We move on.” Nintendo’s lawsuit accused Palworld of committing multiple patent infringements. The case has resulted in many debates as Nintendo kept details of Pocketpair’s infringements private.
Speaking at the Tokyo Game Show 2024, Pocketpair’s Global Community Manager, John Buckley, criticized Nintendo’s recent lawsuit. In an interview with Gamerant, Buckley defended the allegations against Palworld, the highly acclaimed action-adventure, survival, and monster-taming game.
Nintendo files a suit against Pocketpair
We posted the News Release "Filing Lawsuit for Infringement of Patent Rights against Pocketpair, Inc."https://t.co/76ttENZXtv
— 任天堂株式会社（企業広報・IR） (@NintendoCoLtd) September 18, 2024
In a press release dated September 19th, Nintendo Co., Ltd. and The Pokémon Company revealed that they had filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Pocketpair, Inc. in the Tokyo District Court on September 18th. According to the press statement, Pocketpair’s game Palworld infringed on multiple patent rights that remain unspecified.
Nintendo clarified that they would seek an injunction against the infringement and compensation for damages Pocketpair caused through its infringement. Nintendo ended the release by stating that the company would take “necessary legal actions against any infringement of its intellectual property rights, including the Nintendo brand itself, to protect the intellectual properties it has worked hard to establish over the years.”
The lawsuit surprised many people, given that Palworld had been available on the market for months. Palworld was officially announced in 2021 and made available for early access in January 2024 for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC. The PlayStation 5 variation was launched in September 2024, adding to the game’s popularity.
Pocketpair’s official response declared that the company was unaware of the patents it was cited to have infringed upon. Pocketpair revealed that the game developer would work to ensure that “indie game developers are not hindered or discouraged from pursuing their creative ideas.”
John Buckley reiterated by adding that he was also unaware of the details of the patents Palworld was accused of infringing in his interview.
Nintendo lawsuit sparks online debates among Palworld fans
Given the magnitude of the case, the limited nature of information, and the repercussions for other indie game developers, many users were quick to debate and speculate on it online. Most of these online debates criticized Nintendo’s lawsuit and questioned the patents Nintendo accused Pocketpair of infringing.
A Reddit user, Zulu-Delta-Alpha, suggested four possible options. The list included parts of the patents filed in Japan and their four U.S. counterpart applications. The patents covered elements such as catching and/or riding combat characters.
Another user on X claimed, “I fully agree with this. I love Nintendo products but they need to read the room a little, going after Palworld is a great way to piss off your fans for no reason. There’s nothing to gain from this endeavor.”
Several users criticized Nintendo’s lawsuit, saying it was based on several patents they applied for after Palworld was publicly available. While acknowledging that two of the patents filed in 2022 could prove integral to the case, the two patents that Nintendo filed in May 2024 were pointed out as being filed after Palword’s release.
