Pocketpair uses examples from Final Fantasy 14, Tomb Raider, Monster Hunter, and more to defend Palworld against Nintendo’s lawsuit

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In simpler terms, the development team of Palworld, called Pocketpair, is countering the legal action taken by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company by effectively arguing, “But others have done this before us!” This implies that they are referencing older games to suggest similarities in concept or design.

The defense presented by the company on Gamesfray, a platform renowned for delving deep into legal issues within the gaming sector, is actually oversimplified. They’ve recently dissected Pocketpair’s legal arguments directly from the Tokyo District Court.

Essentially, Pocketpair asserts that Nintendo’s patents may not be valid due to the fact that other games employed mechanics strikingly similar to those claimed by The Pokemon Company and Nintendo, with some of these games having done so months or even years earlier. To bolster their claim, the developers behind Palworld have cited prominent examples like their own Craftopia.

In response to a patent concerning capture balls used for battling or capturing creatures, Pocketpair references games such as Rune Factory 5, Titanfall 2, and Pikmin 3, where players have the ability to launch captured creatures (or similar items like balls) in any direction. Simultaneously, Octopath Traveller, Final Fantasy 14, and a mod for Dark Souls 3 demonstrate instances where players can gauge the potential of capturing a beast when attempting taming, providing an indication of success likelihood.

According to the report, Pocketpair seems to have pointed out that both Far Cry 5 and Tomb Raider demonstrated the variety of items that can be thrown in games. On the other hand, The Legend of Zelda, Monster Hunter 4, Path of Exile, Dragon Quest Builders, Minecraft mods, and Fallout 4 were also mentioned in passing.

In simple terms, Nintendo along with The Pokemon Company took legal action against a game called Palworld in Japan last year, claiming it violates several patents. The lawsuit aims to stop the defendants from continuing the game and seeks financial compensation for any damages caused. We’ll need to wait until there’s a decision on this case before we know its outcome.

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2025-04-20 17:09