Without naming the game in question, The Pokémon Company, of which Nintendo is part owner, has announced they will investigate Palworld after many people contacted them regarding the idea that the explosive hit had taken concepts or even assets from the Pokémon series.
Here’s the statement that The Pokémon Company just issued early this morning in Japan about an “investigation” into Palworld:
Inquiries Regarding Other Companies’ Games
“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. We intend to investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to the Pokémon. We will continue to cherish and nurture each and every Pokémon and its world, and work to bring the world together through Pokémon in the future.”
While it is significant that The Pokémon Company issued a statement about this situation, the way it reads does not really imply anything much would probably happen here. Nintendo has says they haven’t licensed any IP or assets to Palworld which I mean, of course they didn’t.
As for IP, clearly no actual terms or exact characters from Pokémon are being used. Nintendo immediately got a Pokémon reskin mod for Palworld taken down when it went live, and I cannot see them having much of a case comparing two electric mice and proving that the concept infringes on Pikachu. You can’t copyright the concept of an electric mouse.
The assets question are the lone item that seems like it could have any weight behind it. Obviously there are loads of similar designs, but in a way that indicates illegal asset stealing? That’s a different question, and so-called “lazy design” aping on other creations doesn’t qualify as actual theft unless it can be explicitly proven.
Several comparison videos have gone viral showing models of Palword Pals fitting smuggling inside models of Pokémon, but there are some caveats here about the “exactness” of these comparisons, and it remains to be seen if the bar is Palworld quite literally ripping Nintendo assets for use in the game, which seems unlikely. The Pokémon Company is not going to get anywhere with this just going “hey these sort of look like our Pokémon.” There would have to be actual asset stealing, while not impossible, again seems highly improbable.
Palworld was also in development for many years before this so this is not exactly news to The Pokémon Company and Nintendo that this game and its Pokémon-adjacent monsters exist. This reads like a statement that they should probably say something given how big this game has gotten, though I would be amazed if this “investigation” turned up anything that could cause real harm to Palworld, which at the time of this writing, has just passed eight million copies sold in six days.
Sure, it’s possible there’s something here and it could damage Palworld. And frankly, I wish they would do less explicit Pokémon mish-mashes when they introduce future Pals. We’ll see if The Pokémon Company’s investigation turns up anything, and if they even decide to share with the public if it does or does not.
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