Palworld made a big splash when it was released, attracting many fans excited to try its unique concept, which some called "Pokemon with guns." While people have noticed similarities between Palworld and Pokemon, especially in terms of design and gameplay, the Pokemon Company and Nintendo haven't said much about the game until now. Recently, Palworld has found itself facing lawsuits from Nintendo over three specific patents.
One of the patents Nintendo is suing Palworld over involves the game's catching system. In Palworld, players use Pal Spheres to catch Pals by throwing them at the targets. This is claimed to infringe on Nintendo's "killer" Patent No. 7545191, which covers the act of throwing a captured item, like a Poke Ball or Pal Sphere. However, Japanese patent lawyer Ryo Arashida (reported by Nikkei Business and Automaton) points out that a game mod, released eight years before Palworld, used a similar catching mechanic. This could make Nintendo's patent invalid.
Could a GTA 5 Mod Help Save Palworld?
Although it’s not mentioned directly, the timing and description suggest that the mod in question is a Pokemon GO-themed GTA 5 mod released back in 2016. The key thing is that the current patent Nintendo is using in its lawsuit, Patent No. 7545191, is linked to a "parent patent" filed in 2021. This means the 2016 mod came before both patents, which could make the legal case against Palworld less important or even irrelevant.
But the patent mentioned earlier is just one of Palworld's issues. Nintendo has also challenged the game with two other patents: 7493117 and 7528390. The 7493117 patent is related to aiming mechanics in the game, while the 7528390 patent focuses on riding characters. Right now, it's unclear if there are any similar cases that could help Palworld with these two patents.
What will happen to Palworld is still uncertain. The lawsuits are asking for a total of 10 million yen (about $65,000 USD), plus additional late payment damages, from Pocketpair. While this amount could hurt, it wouldn’t necessarily end the game developer. However, Nintendo is also seeking an injunction that would prevent Palworld from being sold in Japan. This could have a much larger impact on the game and the company. Still, if the ban only affects the Japanese market, Pocketpair could likely recover.
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