The legal dispute between Nintendo, The Pokémon Company, and Pocketpair, the developer of Palworld, continues. The game, released in January 2024, combines creature collection mechanics with survival elements and is often compared to the Pokémon series.
In September 2024, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed a lawsuit against Pocketpair, accusing the studio of infringing patents related to the use of spheres to capture creatures. The companies are seeking an injunction and compensation for damages.
An unexpected defense move was to bring in an eight-year-old mod for Grand Theft Auto V, which implemented similar mechanics for obtaining creatures. Intellectual property experts believe that the mod may serve as an example that such mechanics are not unique to Nintendo.
Nintendo insists that mods cannot be considered "prior art" and are irrelevant to the case. The company argues that mods depend on the original game and cannot be considered as full-fledged projects like Palworld in the context of patent infringement.
The outcome of the case remains uncertain, but it could set an important precedent for the protection of game mechanics.
