(Image credit: Pocketpair)
Nintendo has taken legal action against Pocketpair over alleged patent infringement in Palworld, leaving the developers blindsided by the unexpected timing and issues cited. Pocketpair’s team, surprised by the lawsuit since patent problems were “something that no one even considered,” had previously ensured all legal checks were passed in Japan before the game’s launch. For more details, visit Nintendo’s website.
Speaking at a prestigious Game Developer’s Conference, Pocketpair’s communications director and publishing manager John ‘Bucky’ Buckley explored the tumultuous journey the game has seen both before and after its debut. Claims that the game used AI to generate creature designs or copied models directly from Pokemon games have surfaced, alongside the distressing receipt of numerous threats by the developers—and now, a formal lawsuit from Nintendo.
Buckley reflected on this overwhelming situation: “The last thing that happened was… not pleasant,” he noted. “A very small thing in September, you might’ve missed it—an indie company ‘cashing in’ on us. Transparent as we can be, it’s an active lawsuit, so I’m limited with my comments. The alleged patent infringement, honestly, caught us entirely off guard. Diving into the process again with our lawyers post-lawsuit uncovered that the dispute was, in fact, related to patents,” detailed Buckley.
Discussing their internal reaction, Buckley shared, “It wasn’t a good feeling, indeed. Before Palworld launched, we made clear the game underwent full legal vetting in Japan, and we cleared it. Discovering the lawsuit left us questioning everything. Retracing the steps, we immediately engaged our lawyers who liaised with the courts. Learning about the patent focus was quite disconcerting. Pocketpair’s team, all fans at heart, faced a somber day—a lot of head-down trudging home in the rain. Our plans for a PlayStation version release, and events like the Tokyo Game Show, were starkly impacted. Measures such as hiring security guards had to be swiftly considered.”
Recent months have seen the introduction of updates to Palworld, subtly shifting certain elements of gameplay possibly linked to the patent disputes. Meanwhile, Nintendo is vying for a US patent, potentially expanding the legal narrative. Buckley opines that “very few companies could survive” such an intensely charged launch—the onslaught of threats, relentless pressure, and overwhelming negativity could easily halt others in their tracks.
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