Palworld devs blame Nintendo Pokmon lawsuit for disappointing game changes
Palworld developer Pocketpair has admitted it has had to make changes to its game in response to the patent-infringement lawsuit brought against it by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company — and indicated there are more of these changes coming.
In a blog post titled “Regarding the lawsuit, changes to Palworld and the future” on Thursday, Pocketpair confirmed that the removal of ball-throwing mechanic for summoning Pals in November 2024 was a result of the ongoing litigation. It went on to say that an upcoming patch will force the use of a glider item for gliding, which will no longer be possible with Pals — also a compromise forced by the lawsuit.
Despite starting its post by apologizing to fans for its inability to be “fully transparent” during the litigation, Pocketpair struck an unrepentant, I’m-not-angry-I’m-just-disappointed tone in the update. It made no attempt to dress the changes up as positives, admitted frankly to its disappointment over them, and asserted the “invalidity” of Nintendo and The Pokémon Company’s patents.
“Currently, we remain involved in prolonged legal proceedings regarding alleged patent infringement. We continue to dispute these claims and assert the invalidity of the patents in question,” Pocketpair said. “However, we have had to make certain compromises in order to avoid disruptions to the development and distribution of Palworld.”
Referring to the November patch removing Pal Sphere summoning, Pocketpair said, “As many have speculated, these changes were indeed a result of the ongoing litigation. Everyone here at Pocketpair was disappointed that this adjustment had to be made, and we fully understand that many players feel the same frustration. Unfortunately, as the alternative would have led to an even greater deterioration of the gameplay experience for players, it was determined that this change was necessary.”
Pocketpair referred to the glider changes as “yet another compromise” which it announced with “regret.”
“From this patch onward, gliding will be performed using a glider rather than with Pals. Pals in the player’s team will still provide passive buffs to gliding, but players will now need to have a glider in their inventory in order to glide. We understand that this will be disappointing for many, just as it is for us, but we hope our fans understand that these changes are necessary in order to prevent further disruptions to the development of Palworld.”
Nintendo and The Pokémon Company’s lawsuit alleges that Palworld infringes several patents they hold for gameplay in Pokémon games. (The suit does not concern the visual design of the Pals, despite many observers saying they bear a striking resemblance to certain Pokémon.) The nature of the patents was initially vague, but research and a subsequent statement from Pocketpair confirmed that they related to catching and releasing Pokémon using Poké Balls, and riding Pokémon.