Pokemon May Be Gearing Up to Sue Palworld in the US Too
A new patent filed by Nintendo similar to the Japanese patents used to sue Palworld could hint that Pokemon intends to bring the lawsuit to the US.
Nintendo has published a new patent in the US that is eerily similar to one of the patents being used to sue Pocketpair over their popular game Palworld in Japan. As one of the game companies known for its litigiousness, this could hint that The Pokémon Company is planning to sue Pocketpair in the US as well. Nintendo and The Pokémon Company announced their lawsuit last September, claiming patent infringement. It later came to light that there were three patents involved in the suit. So far there has only been legal action in Japan, and this is the first hint at any further news on the proceedings.
Nintendo earns US patent similar to the one used to sue Pocketpair over Palworld in Japan
Since its release just over a year ago in January 2024, Palworld has been under scrutiny for its similarities to Pokémon. For a long time, it was mostly fans comparing surprisingly similar 3D models and making jokes. Long before its launch on Steam and Xbox, Palworld became known as “Pokémon but with guns.” For most of last year, it seemed that Nintendo and The Pokémon Company would let it be. They released a vague statement a week after Palworld’s launch, but by the fall of 2024, most had guessed that Nintendo was not able to make a case.
Then, in September of 2024, Nintendo announced they were suing Palworld for patent infringement. In November, Pocketpair shared the patents they were being sued over. Reported by The Verge, the patents “appear to describe Pokémon-style activities, with [one patent] focused on the act of throwing a ball at characters in a field, [another] tied to aiming, and [the last one] on riding characters.” The newly published US patent was spotted by Games Fray, and reportedly “what this claim covers is very similar” to the patents being used to sue in Japan.
Nintendo was granted a patent on December 31st, 2024 that focuses on the concept of “a first and a second mode. The first mode is that you pick a “capture item” like a ball, and the second (alternative) mode is that you unleash a fighting character.” Essentially, this patent describes the two modes of engaging a wild Pokémon. Players can either throw a “capture device” to attempt to capture the wild Pokémon or throw one of their own teammates to engage in battle. This new patent published on February 11th, 2024 “is apparently designed to avoid the distinction between a “first mode” and a “second mode.”” Which would reportedly make it similar to the patents used in the Japan lawsuit.
Is this normal behavior for Nintendo and its US patents? Or are they setting themselves up to take on Pocketpair abroad? It’s ultimately too early to tell. The similarities between these patents and the ones being used in Japan certainly hint at Nintendo’s aims, but nothing is guaranteed. For now, we will have to wait for more news on this story.
The results of this case could have interesting implications for other creature-collecting games as well. A few of my favorite games from the last few years, Cassette Beasts and Beastieball, do not use any kind of throwable device to capture creatures, which could end up being a major patent if Pokémon is able to maintain it. Games like Nexomon might be in a similar position to Palworld, given their use of throwable capture devices. But currently, Nintendo is only going after Palworld. Games like Nexomon have existed for years and it may just be that Palworld had so much success in 2024 that Pokémon finally felt the need to step in.
Meanwhile, in some good news, Pocketpair appears to be making use of the success of Palworld by opening a publishing branch of the company focused on supporting other indie games. They have already received dozens of applications after announcing their first game will be in partnership with Tales of Kenzera: ZAU devs, Surgent Studios.
