Nintendo and Pokémon Company sue Palworld creators, Pocketpair says patent details unclear

Pocketpair, the studio behind the popular Game Palworld, has issued a response to a lawsuit filed by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company (TPC), claiming it has yet to be informed of which patents it allegedly infringed upon.

In a statement released earlier today, Pocketpair said, “At this moment, we are unaware of the specific patents we are accused of infringing upon, and we have not been notified of such details.”

The lawsuit accuses Pocketpair of infringing on multiple undisclosed patents. While the specifics have not yet been made public, the lawsuit likely stems from the similarities between Palworld’s companion creatures, called “pals,” and Pokémon characters.

Palworld, an open-world survival crafting game, has been a commercial success, selling over 10 million copies since its release in January and breaking concurrent player records on Steam.

Critics and fans alike have pointed out the likeness between Palworld's monster designs and Pokémon species, but the lawsuit appears to target patent infringement rather than visual resemblance.

Nintendo, known for its strict defense of its intellectual property, previously had TPC issue takedown orders for content that featured mods replacing pals with Pokémon in Palworld.

As the legal battle unfolds, Pocketpair maintains that it will continue to cooperate while awaiting further details on the patents in question.