The developers of the sensational survival simulator Palworld from the Japanese Pocketpair shared details of the lawsuit filed in September against the studio by Nintendo and The Pokemon Company (TPC).
Image source: eurogamer
As a reminder, after a “thorough review of the content,” Nintendo and TPC decided that “Pokémon with Guns” infringed several patent rights and are seeking an injunction against such material along with damages.
As reported by Pocketpair, Nintendo and TPC’s claims relate to three patents (7545191, 7493117, 7528390) filed between May and August (that is, after the release of Palworld), but related to the “parent” patent from December 2021.
Illustration for one of the patents (image sources: Nintendo and The Pokemon Company)
All three of the patents infringed by the Palworld developers, according to Nintendo and TPC, relate to gameplay elements such as catching digital creatures using a pokeball and the ability to ride them – both of which are in Palworld.
As for the claim for damages, Nintendo and The Pokemon Company expect to receive 5 million yen (about $33 thousand) each, as well as an additional amount for “untimely compensation for damages” (from the date of filing the claim).
Palworld’s Pals look suspiciously like Pokemon, but that’s not what bothered Nintendo and TPC (image source: Steam)
Pocketpair said it is ready to challenge Nintendo and The Pokemon Company: “We will continue to defend our position in this case in future legal proceedings.”
Palworld is in early access – from January 19 on PC (Steam, Microsoft Store), Xbox and Game Pass, and from the fall – on PS5 (including in Japan). The game’s audience exceeded 25 million people. Mobile version confirmed.