Nintendo’s New Patent Could Mean More Trouble for ‘Palworld’ Developer

Nintendo seems to be stepping up its legal strategy in the ongoing dispute with Pocketpair, the developer behind Palworld. In September of last year, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Pocketpair in Japan, accusing them of copying certain game mechanics from Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

These mechanics include the use of Pokéballs to capture creatures and the ability to ride on them, which are key features in Arceus. Although updates from both parties have been scarce, a recent development might be a sign of things to come.

Nintendo has published a new patent in the United States that closely resembles one of the patents it used in the Japanese lawsuit. This could indicate that Nintendo is laying the groundwork for a potential lawsuit in the U.S., although no action has been taken yet.

The new U.S. patent, filed in July 2024, describes various ways to throw items in a game, such as using a “catching item” for capturing creatures or launching characters into battle.

The descriptions are complex, but it’s similar to the mechanics seen in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, where players can throw Pokéballs at wild Pokémon or even throw their own Pokémon to start a battle.

What makes this development even more interesting is that this patent links back to a December 2021 patent that has been part of the ongoing legal issue with Pocketpair. The U.S. patent’s content is nearly identical to one of the divisional patents involved in the Japanese lawsuit.

At this stage, we don’t know if Nintendo will take further legal action in the U.S., but the successful publication of these patents suggests that Nintendo is serious about protecting its intellectual property. This could mean trouble for Pocketpair if the situation escalates, but for now, we’re just left to watch how this plays out.

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