Summary
Shortly after the release ofPalworld, Nintendo andThe Pokemon Companysaidit would investigate allegations that Pocketpair had copied the designs of some of its monsters. Things then went quiet.
That was until yesterday, whenNintendoconfirmed that, alongside The Pokemon Company,it would be filing a lawsuit for ‘patent infringement’against the Japanese indie developers.Pocketpair swiftly responded, saying it “will begin the appropriate legal proceedings and investigations into the claims of patent infringement.”
While it’s unclear exactly what patent infringement Pocketpair has allegedly committed, the team is about to endure a stress-inducing period, something its community is aware of. Over the 18-or-so hours since the lawsuit was announced, hundreds of players have taken to social media to rally around Pocketpair in a show of support.
The Palworld Community Rises Alongside Pocketpair
When Palworld launched in January, it became a cultural phenomenon. Itsold millions of copiesand became, at the time, the game with thesecond-highest concurrent player countever onSteam, though it has now dropped to third since the release ofBlack Myth: Wukong. These millions of players fostered a thriving community.
Although its player count has dropped significantly since its January launch, tens of thousands still grace the game daily, with many of these players now sharing messages of support towards one of gaming’s biggest-ever viral sensations.
Over on the Palworld Subreddit, amegathreaddiscussing the lawsuit has garnered more than 500 comments since it was announced, with a large percentage of them unsurprisingly in favor of Pocketpair.
“I’ll be rooting against Nintendo. They are just a bunch of lifeless corporate suits now. Instead of congratulating a relatively small company on their success and using it as a wake-up call to make better games and listen to their players, they pull this sh*t,“one player said, with many other self-proclaimed Nintendo fans agreeing with the sentiment.Nintendo’s litigiousnesswas a hot topic of conversation, with many hoping they get comeuppance for their litany of previous lawsuits.
While many comments were in support of Palworld andothers were in opposition to Nintendo, some people were justconcerned about the precedent it may setgoing forward, with large companies potentially seeing an opportunity to take action against smaller ones for allegedly minor infringements. One commenter summed the fears up nicely, saying, “Nintendo is going to kill indie JP game development.”
Whatever happens, it’s likely to be a tumultuous and gripping time in the video game world, and one that’s certainly worth keeping an eye on.
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.
