Update (19/09/24, 10:00am BST): Pocketpair has released a statement via the official Palworld Twitter account regarding the filing of the lawsuit. The content is as follows:
“Yesterday, a patent infringement lawsuit was filed against our company. We have received notice of the lawsuit and will initiate corresponding legal procedures and investigations into the patent infringement claims. At present, we do not know the specific patents we are dealing with.” Accused infringement, but we have not yet received such details.
“Pocketpair is a small independent game company based in Tokyo. As a company, our goal has always been to create fun games. We will continue to pursue this goal because we know that our games bring joy to millions of gamers around the world. Joy. Working hard to create something our fans can be proud of.
“As a result of this lawsuit, we will be forced to allocate a significant amount of our time to matters unrelated to game development, which is indeed unfortunate. However, we will do our best to assist our fans and ensure that the pursuit of independent game developers does not to be hindered or discouraged.
This is indeed happening. Palworld developer Pocketpair Distribution is hit with a lawsuit from Nintendo and The Pokémon Company, with the two companies alleging that the game “infringes multiple patents.”
If you’re unaware, recall that when Palworld first surged in popularity earlier this year, it sparked accusations of Pokémon plagiarism, mostly related to its character designs/models. Things even got to the point where The Pokémon Company issued a statement on the matter.
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Now, as posted on Nintendo’s website, as of September 18th, Nintendo and TPC have filed legal proceedings against Pocketpair in the Tokyo District Court. “This lawsuit seeks an infringement injunction and compensation for losses on the basis that the game “Palworld” developed and published by the defendant infringes multiple patent rights,” the press release stated.
“Nintendo will continue to take necessary actions against any infringement of its intellectual property rights, including the Nintendo brand itself,” it continued, “to protect the intellectual property rights it has worked hard to build over many years.”
VG247 has reached out to Pocketpair for comment.
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As mentioned, The Pokémon Company said in January that it would “investigate and take appropriate steps to address any infringement of Pokémon-related intellectual property rights.” As of June, Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe said the company had not received any behind-the-scenes follow-up or communication related to the announcement.
This latest development comes shortly after the Tokyo Game Show listing, which seemed to suggest that the previously teased PS5 port of Palworld may be official or imminent, so this could affect the timing of the set.
