Pokémon has officially sued Pocketpair Inc., the creators of Palworld. But now, some gamers have looked into the public lawsuit and wonder if Pokémon and Nintendo have a leg to stand on.
Ever since Palworld burst onto the scene in January of 2024, the game remained viral for its Pals, some of which looked like existing Pokémon designs but with guns. The concept of fighting violent versions of Pokémon â€" or working them to death â€" was entertaining to many gamers. But now, Pokémon has decided to sue Palworld's creators for many similar elements they seem to have borrowed from the 90's monster game.
Most casual observers assume the lawsuit is focused on the similarities between some pal and poke designs. However, there is more to the story that has been discovered as people look at the lawsuit more closely.
The online discourse surrounding the lawsuit has largely been in favor of Palworld and the latest realizations have only made it worse.
X user The Bored Boar noticed that Pokémon filed for patents regarding some of its iconic gameplay elements, including mounting the creature sand throwing balls to summon them. The thing is, however, that Pokémon filed them on May 2024, months after Palworld launched.
The Bored Boar called the action "very low blow," insinuating that Pokémon purposefully filed patents after seeing the similarities in Palworld. Other gamers pointed out that all of Pokémon's specific patents made it effectively impossible for any other creature capture game to exist.
Despite the seemingly shady behavior, it's still believed that Pokémon and Nintendo will win against Pocketpair Inc. Gamers believe that there's enough similarities even before the patents for Pokémon to come out on top. The Bored Boar even added that Pocketpair going for a settlement would feel like a win to the other side.
Even so, gamers are concerned for other games that happen to use similar elements.
Only time will tell how the lawsuit will go. But gamers are feeling like the courts will rule in favor of the Pocket Monster creator.