Earlier this week, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company announced that they were suing the maker of Palworld, a popular game that became a sensation on Steam and Xbox. The companies claimed that Pocketpair, the studio behind Palworld, had infringed on their patents. While the specific details of the infringement have not been revealed yet, experts have started to speculate on the mechanics of Pokémon that could be at the center of the dispute. Nintendo stated that Palworld infringes on multiple patent rights, while Pocketpair responded by expressing their lack of awareness of the specific patents in question. The legal battle between the two parties is just beginning, and it could be some time before the details of the alleged patent infringement are made public.
One of the main points of contention in the lawsuit seems to be the mechanic of throwing a spherical object at creatures to capture and store them. Nintendo holds a patent for a similar mechanic, which involves specific sequences of events based on particular inputs. This patent was filed in 2021 and approved just last year, coinciding with the release of Pokémon Legends: Arceus. The timing of the patent approval could work in Nintendo’s favor as they pursue legal action against Pocketpair for patent infringement.
This is not the first time Nintendo has taken legal action against a video game company for patent violations. In 2017, Nintendo sued Colopl, a Japanese mobile studio, for alleged patent infringements related to joystick technology. The case was eventually settled, with Colopl paying Nintendo a substantial sum. Industry analysts have pointed out that Nintendo’s meticulous approach to building a case before filing a lawsuit indicates their confidence in winning the legal battle.
Experts believe that Nintendo’s lawsuit against Pocketpair may have been motivated by a desire to disrupt the company’s plans to expand Palworld’s reach, including a potential PlayStation 5 version. The timing of the lawsuit, just before Tokyo Game Show, suggests that Nintendo may be trying to undermine Pocketpair’s partnerships and financial prospects. While the exact financial impact of the lawsuit on Pocketpair remains unclear, it is evident that Nintendo is determined to protect its intellectual property rights.
As the legal battle between Nintendo and Pocketpair unfolds, industry observers will be closely watching the developments. Nintendo has remained tight-lipped about the specific details of the lawsuit, stating that they will refrain from commenting on the content of the legal proceedings. In the meantime, fans of Palworld and Pokémon alike will have to wait and see how this dispute between two gaming giants plays out in the coming weeks.