Palworld Developer Defends Against Nintendo’s Copyright Lawsuit, Claims Patents Are Invalid
The developers of Palworld, Pocketpair, have hit back at Nintendo’s legal action, claiming that the patents the Pokémon Company believes they violated are actually invalid. According to Pocketpair, games like Ark: Survival Evolved, Tomb Raider, and even The Legend of Zelda series, which came before Palworld, already include similar features, making Nintendo’s patents invalid.
Pocketpair argued that the patents Nintendo says it violated are too similar to features already used in other well-known games. For example, they pointed to Ark: Survival Evolved, Pocket Souls, and Craftopia, as well as other titles like Final Fantasy 14, Tomb Raider, Titanfall 2, Octopath Traveler, Pikmin 3, Monster Hunter Ultimate, and even past Pokémon games.
Pocketpair also stated that games like Rune Factory 5, Titanfall 2, and Pikmin 3 Deluxe show how players can release or capture monsters and objects, which Nintendo’s patents cover.
They argued that Pikmin 3 Deluxe, Far Cry 5, and Tomb Raider already demonstrated how different types of throwable objects can be used in gameplay, making Nintendo’s claims about Palworld seem less original.
In addition, Pocket Souls, Octopath Traveler, Monster Super League, and Final Fantasy 14 gave players the ability to target enemies and judge how successful a capture might be, something that Pokémon games have been doing for more than 30 years.
Pocketpair’s legal team believes that if these games already included the features Nintendo is trying to patent, then the patents are invalid. They argued, “it doesn’t matter whether Palworld does what such a patent describes: you can infringe an invalid patent all you want.”
Games Fray, a legal firm specializing in patents, explained that even a single strong argument against a patent could invalidate it. Since Nintendo is suing over three separate patents, Pocketpair wants to make sure they don’t lose based on any one of them.
Nintendo filed the patents in question between February and July 2024, long after Palworld was first released in January 2024. Pocketpair believes the patents should never have been granted, especially since similar systems and features were already used in other games before Palworld.
When Palworld was first announced, it was quickly compared to Pokémon, especially due to its monster-catching mechanics. The game was even called “Pokémon with guns.” Former Pokémon legal officer Don McGowan said he was surprised that the game had reached this point before Nintendo filed its lawsuit in September 2024, claiming Palworld infringed on multiple patents.
In December 2024, Pocketpair made changes to Palworld, removing the ability to summon creatures by throwing Pokéball-style “Pal Spheres” in response to the legal battle. Despite this, Palworld is still available on the Nintendo Switch, and Pocketpair is considering bringing the game to the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2.
As the lawsuit continues, it remains to be seen whether Nintendo’s patents will hold up in court or if Pocketpair’s defense will succeed in having them invalidated.
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