The studio behind Palworld, Pocketpair, has confirmed a series of upcoming changes to the game, which it claims are necessary due to an ongoing lawsuit filed by Nintendo.
Nintendo’s Legal Action
Last year, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed a lawsuit in Japan against Pocketpair, alleging that Palworld infringed on three patents related to monster-catching gameplay. These patents were reportedly filed between February and July 2023 by Nintendo and its affiliates.
Summoning Mechanic Already Changed
On Thursday, Pocketpair officially confirmed that it had already removed the mechanic allowing players to summon Pals using Pal Spheres, stating the decision was directly tied to the legal proceedings. The company explained:
“On November 30, 2024, we released patch v0.3.11 for Palworld. This update removed the ability to summon Pals by throwing Pal Spheres and replaced it with a stationary summoning system where Pals appear directly next to the player.”
Several other game mechanics were altered in this patch as well. Pocketpair acknowledged that, as many players had speculated, these changes were the result of the lawsuit.
“Everyone at Pocketpair is disappointed that these adjustments had to be made, and we fully understand that many players feel the same. Unfortunately, since the alternative could have worsened the gameplay experience, this change was deemed necessary.”
More Gameplay Adjustments Incoming
The studio also announced another significant change coming with patch v0.5.5, set to be released this week:
“From this patch onward, gliding will be performed using a glider item instead of Pals. Pals in your team will still provide passive buffs for gliding, but players must now have a glider in their inventory to use the mechanic.”
Once again, the studio expressed its disappointment and urged fans to understand that these changes are being made to protect the future development of Palworld:
“We know this will be frustrating for many, just as it is for us, but we hope our fans understand that these changes are necessary to prevent further disruption.”
Ongoing Legal Dispute
Pocketpair also issued an apology to its player base, acknowledging the frustration and concern caused by the ongoing legal battle. The studio emphasized that it remains committed to developing Palworld and delivering new, exciting content in the future.
In a preliminary report submitted in February, Pocketpair argued that Nintendo’s patents should never have been granted, stating that prior works had already established similar mechanics before Nintendo’s filing dates.
For example, Pocketpair cited a patent that describes capturing characters by releasing battling creatures or throwing capture balls. They claimed their own earlier game, Craftopia, already featured that mechanic. The studio even listed several other games to demonstrate that this gameplay element was already known and used well before Nintendo’s original patent applications.
