Nintendo finally broke its silence after launch raised controversy among the Pokemon community. Many fans have accused the latter of stealing designs from the popular Pokemon franchise and have called “Pokemon with Guns.” This narrative only fueled the game’s popularity even further, and many wonder if and when Nintendo will take action against Pocketpair. The gaming giant has finally released a statement about the current issue and will pursue legal action against anyone who infringes on their IP. Palworld’s Palworld’s “Pokemon with Guns” Issue Palworld has grown a massive following in less than two weeks and quickly became one of Steam’s most-played games. With over eight million copies sold, the game has cemented itself as another indie hit. Its “Pokemon with Guns” status has helped attract more players. However, its reputation for having similarities with the famous franchise has invited controversy. Many noted that several Pals look overly similar to several Pokemon, such as Jetragon to Latios and Anubis to Lucario. Some social media users have posted scale and design comparisons between these entities to prove their point further. Despite these issues, Palworld continues to garner support from the gaming community for its ingenuity in gameplay and concept. Palworld’s similarities with Pokemon have caused massive online discourse, with many criticizing the game as a blatant rip-off of Nintendo’s franchise. The plagiarism accusations are endless, with many commenting on Twitter and Reddit to voice their complaints. Some have even emailed Nintendo itself to ask what they will do in response to these allegations. Nintendo Breaks their Silence with a Post The Pokemon Company released a statement regarding accusations of competitor IP infringement. While the post did not outright name Palworld, it was alluded to in the texts as Nintendo mentioned that many people inquired about another company’s release in January 2024. The gaming giant has reiterated that they never permitted anyone to use their Pokemon IP and assets. The post highlighted that they will investigate IP infringement issues, so Palworld might be in hot water if Nintendo pursues legal action. However, many noted the ambiguity in the post and that it may not lead to any actual lawsuit. Instead of being a sign of oncoming legal battles, the announcement might be something that Nintendo posted to appease fans. Over the week, Nintendo has been bombarded with inquiries about Palworld, and the company has been silent about it ever since the game’s reveal and eventual release. The constant pressure from avid Pokemon fans might have pushed Nintendo to release a statement to quell further inquiries from concerned gamers. There might not be any intentions for an actual lawsuit. Palworld Is Not That Similar to Pokemon While the designs have uncanny similarities to Pokemon, the gameplay and almost 90% of the game are not that similar. Many Nintendo fans stated that Palworld is a rip-off of their beloved franchise. However, anyone who played it sees that the game resembles other survival games. Even devs have said that, while they did draw some inspiration from Pokemon, Palworld reaches titles like ARK and Craftopia more than others. CEO Mizobe stated that Palworld has cleared legal reviews, and since no other companies have taken action against them, they should be clear from any lawsuits. They continue to assert that they did not infringe on anyone’s IP. As PocketPair clears the air, devs continue imploring people to try the game before they give their opinions. Will Nintendo File a Lawsuit All Nintendo ever said was that they were investigating supposed IP infringement. If the company is deadset on pursuing legal action, they would have done so already. Palworld’s concept and gameplay have been publicly available since 2022 and featured during the 2022 and 2023 Tokyo Game Show. There was no reason for the company to ignore the game for that long if actual plagiarism was involved. No other company has pursued any lawsuit in the past two years, which should further prove that Palworld is in the clear. Even with Palworld’s massive success, Nintendo shouldn’t be threatened. Pokemon remains one of the most profitable and popular gaming franchises ever. The company has all the resources it needs to improve its games further. The release and popularity of Palworld could spur Nintendo to polish further and innovate their series’s next installments. Palworld is Another Win for Indie Developers Palworld becomes the latest string of successful game releases from indie developers. Previously, Lethal Company took the gaming community by storm last November and remains a highly played game until now. Both these games are a testament to the potential of any indie devs to create quality and top-notch games via innovation and passion. While many have lauded these companies for making enjoyable titles, gamers have noted how much less financially capable devs can produce such games than triple AAA companies. The gaming community hopes that well-funded studios will be able to release more innovative games with unique concepts. Hopefully, more indie developers will follow suit and show us competitive projects similar to Palworld.

This writer has a vested interest be it monetary, business, or otherwise, with 1 or more of the products or companies mentioned within.

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