Palworld Responds to Nintendo Lawsuit Rumors in Latest Update

There have been recent changes to Palworld, and fans have noticed some features that have suddenly disappeared. This led to much speculation about the reported patent-infringement lawsuit that was believed to have been brought against PocketPair by Nintendo. In a blog post entitled “Regarding the lawsuit, changes to Palworld and the future”, the team responded to all the theories on Thursday and confirmed that they had, indeed, been brought to court, and the removal of ball throwing in 2024 was due to said litigation.

Pocketpair admitted to the changes, but reflected a deep tone of frustration. “As many have speculated, these changes were indeed a result of the ongoing litigation,” Pocketpair explains. “Everyone here at Pocketpair was disappointed that this adjustment had to be made, and we fully understand that many players feel the same frustration. Unfortunately, as the alternative would have led to an even greater deterioration of the gameplay experience for players, it was determined that this change was necessary.” They let fans know that blinding will be altered in an upcoming patch as well, from using pals to now using gliders.

Pocketpair has not hidden the fact that they believe Palworld does not violate any valid patents. “Currently, we remain involved in prolonged legal proceedings regarding alleged patent infringement. We continue to dispute these claims and assert the invalidity of the patents in question,” Pocketpair said. “However, we have had to make certain compromises in order to avoid disruptions to the development and distribution of Palworld.”

Pockpair apologized to fans for not being able to be transparent about Palworld during the litigation, but hopes to be as open as possible currently. Nintendo maintains ongoing lawsuits, despite also focusing on its own upcoming Pokémon game release. For Pocketpair’s part, they are also promising continued quality moving forward. “We remain committed to developing Palworld and delivering exciting new content to our fans.” Hopefully, there will not be too many more bumps in the road for the beleaguered company and game.

Final Thoughts

Sometimes, when a team decides to kick a hornet’s nest, the nest stings back. There is no way that Pocketpair did not see the close ties that Palworld held to Pokémon. While it is true that it introduces a lot of its own elements, one had to expect that Nintendo would take exception to some of the mechanics because they have always aimed to hold a monopoly on anything remotely similar to their IPs. Pocketpair risked it, and is losing. Hopefully, it will not stifle the game too much, because for all of the controversy, Palworld itself is a highly enjoyable, well-received game that deserves to continue its development.