Image: Pocketpair
The Pokemon Company planned to investigate Palworld for copyright violations this year, but nothing has come of it thus far.
Palworld developer Pocketpair has revealed that The Pokemon Company’s legal team has not reached out after implying that it intended to investigate the game for copyright violations this year. Game producer Takuro Mizobe spoke to Game File to confirm that Palworld’s development team has heard, “nothing at all,” from Nintendo and the Pokemon Company.
No news is good news for Palworld’s developers
Pocketpair, the developer behind the hit survival game Palworld has heard, “nothing at all,” from The Pokemon Company following a copyright investigation. In January this year, The Pokemon Company wrote that it had, “received many inquiries,” regarding Palworld, and, “intend to investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to the Pokémon.”
Speaking to Game File, Palworld’s producer Takuro Mizobe confirmed that neither The Pokemon Company nor Nintendo has contacted them during the apparent legal investigation. Mizobe said, “[We heard] nothing at all. Nintendo and the Pokémon Company didn't say anything to us."
He added, “Of course, I love Pokémon and respect it. I grew up with it, in my generation.” When the game first launched in Early Access on January 19, people drew comparisons between its monsters and Pokemon, though Palworld does set itself apart by letting players enslave these monsters and shoot them with guns. The game became a smash hit almost immediately, though its viral popularity seems to have tapered off by now.
To The Pokemon Company’s credit, it didn’t actually name Palworld as the game it intended to investigate for copyright violations. The company only referred to the title as, “another company’s game released in January 2024.” Seeing as Palworld was the most Pokemon-like game to launch that month, however, it’s easy to connect the dots.
Pocketpair also confirmed that it is, “still discussing,” bringing Palworld to more platforms, but a Nintendo Switch release is unlikely due to, “technical reasons.” Maybe the Switch 2, then?
