Palworld Modders Bypass Nintendo, Pokémon Legal Hurdles

In a bold move, modders of the popular game Palworld are stepping up to reinstate game mechanics that were previously removed by developer Pocketpair due to legal pressures from Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. This action comes in the wake of Pocketpair's acknowledgment that recent patches were a direct result of ongoing litigation.

Palworld made a splash upon its release early in 2024, debuting on Steam for $30 and simultaneously on Xbox and PC via Game Pass. The game shattered sales and concurrent player records, leading Pocketpair's CEO, Takuro Mizobe, to admit that the studio was overwhelmed by the game's financial success. Capitalizing on this momentum, Pocketpair quickly moved to expand its reach by signing a deal with Sony to create Palworld Entertainment, aimed at further developing the IP. The game later saw a release on the PS5.

The game's launch drew inevitable comparisons to Pokémon, with accusations of design plagiarism surfacing. However, instead of pursuing a copyright infringement lawsuit, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company opted for a patent infringement approach. They are seeking 5 million yen (approximately $32,846) each, plus additional damages for late payments, and an injunction that could potentially halt Palworld's distribution.

The core of the lawsuit revolves around three Japanese patents related to capturing Pokémon in a virtual field, which Palworld mirrored with its Pal Sphere mechanic, similar to the system used in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. In response to the legal threats, Pocketpair released Patch v0.3.11 in November 2024, which altered the gameplay by changing the summoning of Pals from a dynamic throw to a static summon beside the player. This patch also included other mechanical changes, which Pocketpair claimed were necessary to prevent a further decline in player experience.

Further adjustments came with Patch v0.5.5, which modified the gliding mechanic. Instead of gliding with Pals, players must now use a glider, although Pals still offer passive gliding buffs. Pocketpair described these modifications as "compromises" made to avoid an injunction that could jeopardize the game's development and sales.

However, the modding community has not taken these changes lying down. Just a week after Patch v0.5.5, modders released the Glider Restoration mod by Primarinabee, which restores the original gliding with Pals feature. Available on Nexus Mods, this mod has been downloaded hundreds of times since its release on May 10. While it requires a glider in the inventory and isn't a perfect replica of the original mechanic, it effectively reverses the changes introduced by the latest patch.

Another mod attempts to bring back the throw-to-release mechanic for Pals, though it lacks the original ball-throwing animation and simply summons the Pal where the player is looking. The longevity of these mods remains uncertain, given the ongoing legal battle.

At the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in March, IGN had an in-depth discussion with John "Bucky" Buckley, communications director and publishing manager for Pocketpair. During his talk titled 'Community Management Summit: A Palworld Roller Coaster: Surviving the Drop,' Buckley addressed several issues facing Palworld, including accusations of using generative AI and copying Pokémon models, both of which have been debunked. He also touched on the unexpected nature of the patent lawsuit, stating it was a complete surprise to the studio.