Indie sensationPalworld, which found fame thanks to its ‘Pokemonwith guns’ pitch, isfinally being sued by Nintendo. But interestingly, developer Pocketpair isn’t on the docket because of copyright infringement. As stated in the official joint announcement with The Pokemon Company, Nintendo’s “lawsuit seeks an injunction […] and compensation for damages on the grounds that Palworld infringes multiple patent rights.”
According to Toyo Securities analyst Hideki Yasuda, via an interview withBloomberg, “Nintendo filing this lawsuit for patent infringement, not copyright violation, means it has given up making the case that Palworld’s characters are similar to Pokemon’s. But it shows Nintendo has more ways to stop games it doesn’t like. The company owns a lot of patents related to basic game mechanics that are used in many titles available today.”
Nintendo has not revealed exactly what patents it believes to have been infringed upon, but to give you an idea of how specific its patented mechanics are: the console giant holds the rights to characters forming a shadow when hiding behind trees, and more pertinent to this case, throwing items to catch monsters in a field.
The latter patent is considered “valid” in Japan, where the lawsuit was filed and both Pocketpair and Nintendo are located. Given that most of Palworld is actually a survival sandbox closer to something likeArk: Survival Evolvedthan Pokemon, but still involves catching monsters in a field, it’s likely that this patent is one of the infringes mentioned in the suit. Regardless of what game mechanic is being used as a basis for the lawsuit, it sets a worrying precedent. Gaming’s most iconic genres wouldn’t be here without a little bit of copying each others’ homework, and Nintendo is trying to stamp that out.
Soulslikes, Doom Clones, Roguelikes, Metroidvanias… Copying Is How Gaming Grows
The first-person shooter, one of the most recognised genres outside of RPGs, was originally known as the ‘Doomclone’. EvenGoldenEye 007was called as such ina 1997 preview. id Software’s controversial but still-influential shooter is the bedrock of the genre, with other iconic games of that era likeDuke NukemandMarathonblatantly pilfering from them. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but I’m guessing nobody ever told Nintendo that.
Not to mention that many RPGs can trace their roots back toDungeons & Dragonsin some way.
We wouldn’t have the FPS genre as we know it had id Software clamped down on these clones and patented basic mechanics. But it’s not just shooters that began life this way - there are genres to this very day with their inspirations still right there in the name.
Soulslikes are a perfect modern example that follows a strangely similar pattern to the FPS genre. Doom andDark Soulswere spiritual successors to the far less popularWolfensteinandDemon’s Souls, and in breaking into a much wider zeitgeist, formed an entirely new genre. After their respective sequels, Doom and Dark Souls were then followed up by their own spiritual successors inQuakeandBloodborne, which were just as influential, helping the genre to take on a life of its own.
Roguelikes and Metroidvanias likewise still use the names of their inspirations (those being Rogue,Metroid, andCastlevania), and have similarly become their own beasts separate from their origins. Gaming is built on copying, because the competition driven by these copycats as they take ideas even further pushes developers to be bolder. It’s how we got equally as influential icons likeHalf-Life, which was even built on a modified Quake engine.
There Are Countless Pokemon Clones
There are alotof Pokemon-like games, fromTemtemto Nexomon to the enormously popularDigimon: a kid gets a monster and goes into the wider world to catch ‘em all in a wholesome, family affair. I’d speculate that Palworld drew Nintendo’s ire not because it was a copycat, but because it handed the character a gun and saidshootthe monsters, the polar opposite of family friendly. But picking and choosing what games you ‘allow’ to copy you is the exact opposite of breeding innovation. It’s tolerating ‘competition’, which means it’s no competition at all.
Pokemon desperately needs a competitor to kick it up a notch, because it hasfollowed the same basic formula for 30 years. Even in going open-world withScarlet and Violet, the core loop remained the same. The series is stagnating as it has nobody to hold it to account, to show Nintendo how it’s done. Yet it remains one of the biggest media properties in the world and Nintendo can leverage this popularity to smoke out those who dare compete.
The FPS genre thrived because different developers could take ideas from each other and experiment further, but Nintendo is taking a far stricter approach, hoarding mechanics for itself and determining who is allowed to use them. It’s similar toWarner Bros. patenting the Nemesis system after Shadow of Mordor, which could have beengroundbreakingfor video games, refusing to allow other developers a chance to run with ideas to see how much further they can be taken from a new perspective.
We have such a wide tapestry of inventive and influential games because they were allowed to copy the biggest hits in the medium. That can’t happen with an all-powerful overseer watching over every copycat’s every move.
Not to mention that Pokemon’s original designs are famouslynear-identical to Dragon Quest Monsters.
Nintendo going after Palworld isn’t something we should celebrate, nor should we be rooting for Pocketpair’s downfall. It’s a hypocritical move that flies in the face of how gaming continues to innovate and break into new territory.
This lawsuit, if successful, will set a dangerous precedent, that basic and fundamental gaming mechanics can be sealed off from others in the industry, stifling innovation and preventing growth as the biggest, most powerful and wealthy corporations decide who is allowed to break into this medium and take their ideas further. With a mindset like this, gaming wouldn’t be where it is today.
Palworld
WHERE TO PLAY
Palworld has been described as Pokemon with guns and well, it’s hard to argue with that. The game is very similar in nature to the Pokemon formula, tasking you with catching and working with monsters called Pals. There are key differences, though. Palworld is rooted in multiplayer, oh, and, unlike Pokemon, its Pals have guns.
