“Pokemon” to Investigate Palworld Game Alleged IP Infringement

The Pokemon Company finally spoke up about the Palworld game, and they made it damn clear that they’re gonna look into any copyright issues that might be messing with their precious Pokemon franchise. They didn’t straight up say Palworld, but let’s be real, their statement totally gives it away.

Response to Palworld’s Success

No doubt Palwolrd is freaking killing it! It’s sold a mind-blowing 8 million copies in under a week! But hold up, there’s drama too. People are all up in arms about how the game’s creatures, called Pals, look a lot like Pokemon. The Pokemon Company had to step in and say something to calm down the fans, ’cause this game has been getting hella attention. The statement reads, “We have received many inquiries regarding another company’s game released in January 2024. We have not granted any permission for the use of Pokémon intellectual property or assets in that game.” This assertive declaration emphasizes The Pokemon Company’s commitment to protecting its iconic franchise.

Palworld Developer Responds Amidst Controversy

Before The Pokemon Company made their statement, the CEO of Pocketpair, Takuro Mizobe, stuck up for Palworld’s originality in an interview with Automaton. Mizobe made it clear that Palworld is more similar to games like Ark Survival Evolved and Vanaheim than Pokemon. The team stated that they went through legal reviews and made it known that they are committed to creating games without stepping on anyone else’s intellectual property.

“We make our games very seriously, and we have absolutely no intention of infringing upon the intellectual property of other companies,”

Takuro Mizobe

Even though Pocketpair said everything would be fine, they’ve received a lot of hate, including death threats towards the team, ever since Palworld came out on January 19. It’s gotten so bad that The Pokemon Company is suing people who changed Palworld’s characters to Pokemon. Even Nexus Mods, a big modding website, doesn’t want anything to do with Pokemon mods for Palworld because they’re afraid Nintendo might come after them legally.

Palworld’s Success Amidst Criticisms

Despite all the drama surrounding it, you can’t deny that Palworld has been a huge hit. Even IGN’s review, though it pointed out some bugs and performance hiccups, still called the game “Great” even in its Early Access phase. Travis Northup, one of IGN’s writers, really loved Palworld’s crazy vibes, tons of stuff to do, and the addictive survival gameplay.

“Even in its Early Access state, Palworld is amusingly irreverent, has a surprising amount of content and deep survival mechanics, and is absurdly difficult to put down.”

Northup stated in his review

He acknowledged the game’s resemblance to Pokemon but found the overall experience captivating and promising.

The Road Ahead for The Palworld Game

Despite all the legal drama and controversies, it looks like Palworld is all set to grow and bring out more cool stuff. The gaming community is super excited to see how Pocketpair will handle all these challenges and still give us an awesome gaming experience. The Pokemon Company’s official statement basically says they’re gonna do everything they can to keep their stuff, so it’s up to the courts to decide if Palworld copied them or not. It’s gonna be a real show, and no matter what happens, it’s clear that the rules about copying and being creative in the gaming world are gonna keep changing for everyone involved.