On July 26, 2025, Nintendo and The Pokemon Company filed a lawsuit against thePalworlddeveloper Pocketpair. Filed in the Tokyo District Court, this is a patent infringement lawsuit seeking compensation for damages on the grounds thatPalworldinfringes on multiple patent rights. What these patents are is currently unknown, with even Pocketpair admitting the following day that it isn’t sure yet, but the fact remains that Nintendo is suing one of the most successfulPokemonimitators yet. Many people have wondered if this would happen sincePalworld’s launch, but this case isn’t quite what they had in mind.
Palworldwas released in early access for Steam, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S on May 26, 2025, and has been receiving updates and acclaim ever since. Gaining over 15 million owners on Steam and 10 million Xbox players in just one month,Palworldlaunched the major Sakurajima patchin early Summer, including a PvP arena, dedicated Xbox servers, new Pals, and the titular new island itself. Its momentum is still going strong, especially for a game that hasn’t achieved its final form yet, but Nintendo’s lawsuit could throw a wrench into its plans simply by arriving at the wrong time.
Palworld’s Nintendo Lawsuit Explained
Right now, there is a lot of confusion online over thePalworldpatent lawsuit, and not many details available to clear things up, so it’s best to limit assumptions. What can be stated for certain is that this is a patent infringement case, not a copyright case, and thus concerns design decisions rather than surface-level visual comparisons likesome Pals resembling Pokemon. Nintendo and The Pokemon Company, as well as many large game developers and publishers, have registered lots of broad patents covering seemingly innocuous details and design trends, so it’s possible thatPalworldinfringed on some without even realizing it.
Palworld May Not Be In As Much Danger As It Seems
Such patent cases have a better track record of succeeding in Japanese courts compared to American ones, but that doesn’t spell the end for Pocketpair orPalworld. The most likely result of the legal proceedings, based on similar cases, will bePalworldbeing found guilty of infringing upon at least one patent, and Pocketpair needing to pay Nintendo and/or The Pokemon Company a fine and potentially make adjustments toPalworld. Although Pocketpair is a small indie company,Palworld’s success means it probably has money to burn, so in a best-case scenario there will be minimal long-term repercussions. If this lawsuit causes Pocketpair any strife, the worst problems may show up right away.
The Context Around Palworld’s Lawsuit Could Be The Real Threat
Rumor has it thatPalworldwill announce its arrival on PlayStationduring the week of Tokyo Game Show 2024, which formally runs from September 26 to September 29. Some rumors also claim that there will be a PlayStation State of Play during that week, providing another good opportunity forPalworldto make the announcement. Nintendo filing a lawsuit against Pocketpair a week beforehand could cause a last-minute change of plans, robbingPalworldof a major new platform and PlayStation of a big announcement, and that may not be all.
Palworld’s Jump To PlayStation Will Be Weird No Matter What
PlayStation does not normally accept early access releases, soPalworldarriving there implies that it may have reached version 1.0 sooner than expected. If the announcement of this port is delayed,Palworld’s entire 1.0 updatemay go with it. With that said, PlayStation has precedent in accepting the early accessPokemoncloneTemTemin December 2020.Palworldis more lucrative than that, and Pocketpair is also forming Palworld Entertainment, Inc., with Sony subsidiaries right now, so it could get special treatment. Everything surroundingPalworldand Nintendo’s lawsuit is uncertain, but at least TGS week should reveal whether the game has already been disrupted.
Palworld
WHERE TO PLAY
In this game, you can peacefully live alongside mysterious creatures known as Pals or risk your life to drive off a ruthless poaching syndicate. Pals can be used to fight and breed, or they can be made to work on farms or factories. You can even sell them or eat them.Survival: In a harsh environment where food is scarce and vicious poachers roam, danger waits around every corner. To survive, you must tread carefully and make difficult choices…even if that means eating your own Pals when the time comes.Mounts & Exploration: Pals can be mounted to traverse the land, sea and sky—allowing you to traverse all kinds of environment as you explore the world.Collect all kinds of exciting Pals to fight, farm, build, and work for you in this completely new multiplayer, open world survival and crafting game!
