The legal defense used by indie title Palworld against Nintendo and the Pokémon Company hinges on other large titles, according to new information. The monster-collecting, base-building game from small development studio Pocketpair was a huge hit when it launched in January of last year. Its resemblance to Pokémon has caused it some serious trouble, though, as the company was sued last year for allegedly infringing on several monster-catching patents owned by the larger development studios.

Pocketpair's legal stance attempts to prove that the two companies didn't "invent" the mechanics which they own the patent for, citing titles like Monster Hunter 4G, The Legend of Zelda, Ark: Survival Evolved, and many others in its defense. Games Fray breaks down the strategy that Pocketpair is using to fight back against the lawsuit, as spotted by Video Games Chronicle. If Pocketpair wins this battle, it could have wider ramifications for the video game creators, taking a step toward preventing large companies from monopolizing the industry.

Pocketpair Argues Against Nintendo Patents

Preliminary briefs filed by Pocketpair seem to be going after the validity of the patents themselves, claiming that the patents-in-suit shouldn't have been granted in the first place. To prove this, Pocketpair mentions many other games that had the patented elements before Nintendo claims to have "invented" them, making the patents invalid.

For instance, Pocketpair notes that Rune Factory 5, Titanfall 2, Pikmin 3 Deluxe, and even Pocketpair's own Craftopia all had a mechanic involving using balls to capture and release characters like monsters to battle. The filings also list several games like Final Fantasy XIV, Tomb Raider, Far Cry 5, and others that utilized other aspects of related patents before the patents were created.

Since the legal fight began, Palworld has changed the mechanic for summoning monsters to remove the Pokémon-like element of the Pal Sphere, possibly in response to the lawsuit.

These games already existed before Nintendo filed the original patent application. If the court agrees with the indie company, this would potentially prove that Pokémon and Nintendo didn't invent the ideas protected in the patent, and therefore shouldn't have the rights to them.

The Small Indie Company Is Prepared To Fight

Sheep like pals in palworld holding guns

Palworld has been engaged in a legal battle with the Pokémon Company and Nintendo since September of last year, when the two game industry giants went after the indie developer Pocketpair. The game had been receiving comparisons to the other famous monster-collecting title, with many referring to it as "Pokémon with guns," a descriptor that Pocketpair has since asked people to stop using.

The large names after the company don't seem to scare it, though. Pocketpair has stated that it doesn't plan to back down, and means to fight back against the Pokémon Company and Nintendo, a statement that made the studio even more popular in the West but drew ire from some Japanese gaming communities. Meanwhile, Palworld continues to expand undeterred, with expansions, collaborations and events continuing as planned, as well as console expansion and a recently introduced crossplay update to bring the game to an even larger audience.

Source: Games Fray, Video Games Chronicle

mixcollage-07-dec-2024-07-06-pm-2683.jpg

Palworld
Open-World
Shooter
Survival
Systems
PC-1
Top Critic Avg: 77/100 Critics Rec: 75%
Released
July 10, 2026
ESRB
T For Teen Due To Violence
Developer(s)
Pocket Pair, Inc.
Publisher(s)
Pocket Pair, Inc.
Engine
Unreal Engine 5
Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer
Cross-Platform Play
Xbox Series X|S, pc
Cross Save
yes
Number of Players
1-4 (Co-Op); 32 Players Server Limit
GGMods Mods

Genre(s)
Open-World, Shooter, Survival