Nintendo and Pokemon have taken legal action against Palworld developer Pocketpair over patent infringement. Here’s what that means

When Palworld was released in January 2024, many gamers noticed close comparisons to games like Arc: Survival Evolved and Breath Of The Wild. Yet, above all else, Palworld was undoubtedly a parody of the highest-grossing media franchise of all time, Pokémon, with a cast of Pokémon esc “Pals” for the player to collect.

Pocketpair's boss previously said the game had passed legal checks. But Nintendo is known for fiercely protecting its intellectual property and brand. Pokémon said in statements posted on their websites that Palworld "infringes multiple patent rights".

Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Pocketpair in Tokyo. Pocketpair is the Japanese video game developer behind Palworld, a game people have been describing as a Pokémon parody,

"Palworld," a survival-strategy game known colloquially as "Pokémon With Guns,” is the target of a patent-infringement lawsuit filed by Nintendo and the Pokémon Co. Nintendo said the lawsuit against Pocketpair,

Instead, Nintendo says it's suing Pocketpair over patent infringement. Rather than protecting creative works, patents protect innovations, inventions, and processes. By filing a p