Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed a patent infringement lawsuit against the Palworld developer Pocketpair in September of this year.
In a notable development, Pocketpair has now released an update for Palworld which changes the Pokémon-like throwing mechanic in the game. As detailed in the latest v0.3.11 patch notes, “player-owned Pals” are now always summoned “near the player”. In other words, you can no longer summon Pals with Pal Spheres in certain spots on the map.
Palworld’s developer hasn’t actually mentioned why this mechanic has been changed in the latest update, but most fans are already convinced it’s tied to Pocketpair’s ongoing legal battle with Pokémon and Nintendo. It also follows reports about the lawsuit targeting three patents, with one of them relating to the gameplay mechanics and throwing items to catch creatures.
Pocketpair has previously mentioned how it will continue to improve Palworld and would do its “utmost” for fans to “ensure indie game developers are not hindered or discouraged from pursuing their creative ideas”.
Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are now seeking “an injunction against the game and compensation for a portion of the damages” in the form of five million yen each (10m yen in total) and additional “late payment damages”.
Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed a patent infringement lawsuit against the Palworld developer Pocketpair in September of this year.
In a notable development, Pocketpair has now released an update for Palworld which changes the Pokémon-like throwing mechanic in the game. As detailed in the latest v0.3.11 patch notes, "player-owned Pals" are now always summoned "near the player". In other words, you can no longer summon Pals with Pal Spheres in certain spots on the map.
Palworld's developer hasn't actually mentioned why this mechanic has been changed in the latest update, but most fans are already convinced it's tied to Pocketpair's ongoing legal battle with Pokémon and Nintendo. It also follows reports about the lawsuit targeting three patents, with one of them relating to the gameplay mechanics and throwing items to catch creatures.
Pocketpair has previously mentioned how it will continue to improve Palworld and would do its "utmost" for fans to "ensure indie game developers are not hindered or discouraged from pursuing their creative ideas".
Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are now seeking "an injunction against the game and compensation for a portion of the damages" in the form of five million yen each (10m yen in total) and additional "late payment damages".
