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If you know Palworld, you’re probably familiar with their ongoing legal battle with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. Palworld is a survival game-meets-creature catcher game which caught the gaming world by storm when it released earlier this year in January 2024. As a result of this lawsuit, the game has now removed the ability to summon Pals by throwing Pal Spheres, which was one of the patented features that Nintendo were suing over.
In the latest patch update v0.3.11, Palworld devs, Pocket Pair, removed the Pal Sphere throwing mechanic and now when you summon a Pal it just appears next to your player character. Before the change, players could throw a Pal Sphere and summon their Pal as it landed to the ground. The Pal Spheres are still in the game (for now) but this change might hint at future alterations in a bid to keep Nintendo and Pokémon at bay.
🚨 Major update coming in December!🚨
Survive on the largest, harshest, and most mysterious new island in Palworld!The size of the new island is about six times more than Sakurajima!!!
Palworld is also currently 25% off! A perfect time to prepare for the upcoming update!
Don't… pic.twitter.com/f2AwDjNGXt— Palworld (@Palworld_EN) November 28, 2024
In September, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company announced they were seeking an injunction against Palworld for multiple patent infringements, and looking to fine them ¥10 million yen (around $65,000 USD). Nintendo wants Palworld removed from the market due to the game’s similarities to the Pokémon franchise. Nintendo has earned a reputation for being harsh on those who they believe have infringed on their franchises. This has led to fan-made games being shut down and popular Nintendo Switch emulators like Ryujinx being taken down. After its popular release in January, Palworld fans definitely expected Nintendo to respond to the game in one way or another.
Whilst Pocket Pair hasn’t confirmed that these latest patch notes are a direct result of this lawsuit, one of the patent Nintendo are suing over is the use of a projectile ball to summon a creature so it makes sense that this recent update is probably linked to the legal battle. Fans are disappointed to see this feature removed as it was a useful tactic in throwing your Pals out of harm’s way – now they are fixed as always being summoned right next to the player.
It’s unclear who exactly will win this legal battle, but Pocket Pair has said they will fight this lawsuit and insists they will “continue to assert [their] position in this case through future legal proceedings“. Palworld devs may have some exciting announcements to make at the upcoming Games Awards 2024 though, having been nominated for the Players’ Choice category. Stay tuned for more on this ongoing battle!
