Hey, so guess what happened in 2024? This company, Pocketpair, dropped a game called Palworld. It’s kinda like Pokémon, but with guns. Yeah, you heard right—guns. Wild, huh? People went nuts for it on Steam. But, plot twist, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company were like, “Uh, not so fast,” and slapped them with a lawsuit. Classic, right?
Anyway, because of some patent drama, Pocketpair had to tweak the game. No more Pal Spheres—like, those are out. They had to switch it up so Pals just sort of—poof!—appear next to you. Oh, and you can’t glide with Pals anymore. You gotta use a boring old glider. It’s kind of a bummer but what are you gonna do? It’s the legal life!
So, future wannabe Pokémon games? Yeah, they might find themselves in a bit of a tight spot. Like, they can’t use the iconic Poké Ball concept anymore—Nintendo’s got a patent on that. Seems like every little thing could get poked and prodded legally. Might make it tricky for developers to get creative with their monster-catching ideas.
Here’s where it gets messier—these games are in the spotlight now. Like, much bigger chance for scrutiny. If a studio isn’t super careful, boom, lawsuit city. Honestly, if they’re not ready for some serious legal wrangling, they might just wanna bail on the idea altogether. Safer that way, ya know?
Oh, and Palworld? It came out in January 2024, for those keeping score. Made by Pocketpair with Unreal Engine 5. And, heads up, it’s rated T for Teen. Just tossing that out there.
