Nintendo sues Palworld developer: here’s what we know so far

On Thursday night, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company revealed that they were suing Palworld developer Pocketpair for patent infringement. Palworld became a viral success following its early access launch in January because it was a creature-collecting survival game with a surprisingly violent edge. The similarities to Pokémon were pretty noticeable, so players were left wondering for months whether or not any legal action would be pursued.

Now, we know that Nintendo is taking Pocketpair to court. While many unknowns still surround this lawsuit, there’s a lot to glean from the early details. Here are the basics you need to know to get you up to speed on what could be a monumental legal case for video games.

Nintendo files a lawsuit in Japan

On the evening of September 18 (or the early morning of September 19 in Japan), Nintendo publicly put out a news release on its investment website titled “Filing Lawsuit for Infringement of Patent Rights against Pocketpair, Inc.” It confirms that a patent infringement lawsuit against Pocketpair has been filed by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company in Tokyo District Court.

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“This lawsuit seeks an injunction against infringement and compensation for damages on the grounds that Palworld, a game developed and released by the Defendant, infringes multiple patent rights,” the news release explained. “Nintendo will continue to take necessary actions against any infringement of its intellectual property rights including the Nintendo brand itself, to protect the intellectual properties it has worked hard to establish over the years.”

The Pokémon Company said in February 2024 that it would “investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to the Pokémon” following the release of Palworld. Well, they’ve found something they