Pokémon Lawsuit Shows ‘Just How Seriously Nintendo Views the Threat of Palworld,’ Patent Expert Says

Nintendo and The Pokémon Company’s lawsuit against developer Pocketpair is evidence of the threat posed by Palworld, one patent expert has said.In an article on GamesIndustry.biz, intellectual property expert and associate at law firm MBHB Andrew Velzen argued that the shock lawsuit shows “just how seriously Nintendo views the threat of Palworld.”Last week, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Palworld developer Pocketpair in the Tokyo District Court.

Pocketpair issued a statement in response claiming it had no idea which patents it’s accused of infringing, but experts have pointed to a “killer patent” that revolves around the mechanic of catching Pokémon itself.After Palworld’s huge launch earlier this year on PC and Xbox, comparisons were made between Palworld’s Pals and Pokémon, with some accusing Pocketpair of "ripping off" Pokémon designs.

But rather than file a copyright infringement lawsuit, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have gone down the patent route.It is worth noting that Palworld does include a mechanic that involves throwing a ball-like object (called a Pal Sphere) at monsters out in a field to capture them, similar to the mechanic seen in the 2022 Nintendo Switch exclusive Pokémon Legends: Arceus, and this may prove the key to the lawsuit.Palworld launched on Steam priced $30 and straight into Game Pass on Xbox and PC earlier this year, breaking sales and concurrent player number records in the process.

Pocketpair boss Takuro Mizobe has said Palworld's launch was so big that the developer couldn’t handle the massive profits the game generated.Still, Pocketpair acted swiftly to capitalize on Palworld’s breakout success, signing a deal with Sony to form a new business called Palworld Entertainment that’s tasked with expanding the IP.Velzen ran through the various patents that Nintendo may have filed in Japan specifically to take Pocketpair on, and discussed the possibility that the company may file a lawsuit in