Palworldcauseda stir in thePokémoncommunity after finally providing some competition to Game Freak, experiencing an explosive surgein popularity. Many players took to the game, jokingly referring to it as’Pokémon with guns’and the comparisons withPokémonwere evident. From many ofPalworld’s creature designs to its mechanics, it’s clear that the game borrowed a lot fromPokémon,and Nintendo wasn’t happy about it.
Nintendo suingPalworldhas been a big talking point in gaming for a while,and it isn’t a good situation for either company. For Pocketpair, it’s unknown if it will be able to continue supportingPalworldif it loses the lawsuit. For Nintendo, this suggests an inability to handle healthy competition, and with the latest news about the lawsuit, it appears Nintendo is becoming increasingly desperate.
If Pocketpair Wins, Nintendo’s Patent Encroachment Is Not A Good Sign
Nintendo Is Doing Uncharted Things To Win The Lawsuit
Pocketpair has always been at a disadvantage when it comes to lawsuits, being a much smaller company. With both companies being Japanese and Nintendo’s significant importance to Japan, the fear was that Nintendo would be able to leverage its resources to do as it pleased, but this hasn’t been the case. Nintendo looks desperate to win the lawsuit, andhas strangely changed its patent to do so.
Pokcetpair was founded in 2015 and is based out of Shinagawa, Tokyo.
Nintendo’s lawsuit claims that Pocketpair’sPalworldinfringes on several ofPokémon’s patents; however, during the lawsuit, Nintendo has allegedly revisedthe language behind one of these patents. This is according to sources and an article fromGames Fray, and up until this point, Pocketpair’s defense was that it never infringed on these patents in the first place. Changing these patents seems to be an obvious move to turn the tides of the lawsuit in Nintendo’s favor.
The problem with the change is that it allegedly employs unusual language when discussing the smooth transition between riding objects, using’even when.‘This is far from typical for patents, and shows that Nintendo is clutching at straws and thatPocketpair will likely win the lawsuit.Pocketpair has a good case, especially because Nintendo isn’t going after the designs of the Pals and their similarity toPokémon.
Still, even if Pocketpair wins,Nintendo’s patent encroachment is a worrying sign. The company changing its patent mid-lawsuit shows that it isn’t necessarily playing by the same rules as everyone else. If another studio makes a game inspired by a Nintendo title, or evenPokémon, they may have to go through the same stress as Pocketpair and suffer a company doing everything it can to win.
If Nintendo Wins, Developers Could Be More Cautious Going Forward
And It Would Be The Worst Case Scenario
Still, with all the resources at its disposal, andgiven the surprising nature of thisupdate in thePalworldlawsuit,it wouldn’t be entirely surprising if Nintendo wereto win the lawsuit. If it did, it would be the worst-case scenario. It would give Nintendo and the Pokémon Company an even tighter stranglehold on any kind of game likePokémon, and something likeTemtemcould be next.
Temtemis an MMO developed by Spanish developer, Crema.
Any company that wants to borrow any kind of mechanic from a Nintendo game will probably think twice.Nintendo would have full, unchecked control and no competition, but competition is what helps make games great. WithThe Simshaving competition throughInZOIand the upcomingParalives, it will be forced to innovate for its next game instead of remaining stagnant.
Games likeTemtemandPalworldforcePokémonto do better, especially because the franchise’s recent titles haven’t quite met the expectations the fans had hoped for. With alternatives, it breeds an environment filled with healthy competition, but it feels like Nintendo wants to avoid this. It isn’t backing Game Freak’s ability to make a greatPokémongame and would rather tear down the competition, which is worrying.
Many games that are somewhat similar toZelda, likeTUNICcould be under threat next, and perhapsGenshin Impactcould suffer a lawsuit for usingBreath of the Wild’s climbing mechanics. If Nintendo manages to win the lawsuit regarding the infringement of its patents, it could attempt to kill all competition next.Smaller developers wouldn’t have a chance, and this added cautiousness could prevent great games from being made.
No Matter Who Wins The Lawsuit, The Fans Lose
They Lost The Day The Lawsuit Started
Had the lawsuit been about the designs behind the Pals and their similarity toPokémon, it probably wouldn’t feel as damaging. Still, withNintendo filing the lawsuit based on patent infringementand mechanics,it sends a worrying message to other developers. The future ofPalworldhas been uncertain since the day the lawsuit was filed, and it’s hard to look atPokémonthe same way again.
Developers perhaps thinking of making their own games in thePokémonstyle, now that there’s some competition in the genre, might scrap the idea irrespective of who wins.These developers might not want to deal with what Pocketpair had to,even if it wins, and might not have any hope for their project if Nintendo wins.It’s a lose-lose situation for everyone.
Still,it does show that Nintendo seesPalworldas a genuine threat,and this is probably a promising sign for Pocketpair if it manages to win the lawsuit.It has a good case, and the desperation of Nintendo’s patent rewording is a good sign. Still, Nintendo going around strong-arming other developers isn’t great news for developers looking to take inspiration from its legendary IPs.
