Palworld developer accused of copying Pokémon says it has "no intention of infringing" intellectual property

Palworld developer PocketPair has said it has «no intention» of being found legally at fault for any similarity between it and any other popular pocket monster franchise.

Speaking to Automaton, PocketPair boss Takuro Mizobe said the game had cleared legal reviews and no action had been taken against the project (thus far).

«We make our games very seriously, and we have absolutely no intention of infringing upon the intellectual property of other companies,» Mizobe said.

Eurogamer's Palworld early access tips for a handy catch bonus and more.

Still, Mizobe discussed the Snorlax in the room — Pokémon — and described it as the «overwhelming leader of the monster collection/raising genre» and now a «great predecessor» to Palworld.

The comments come after Pokémon fans spent the weekend arguing on social media over perceived similarities between Palworld's Pal species and several popular Pokémon. (At one point, «rip-off» was reportedly trending on X in Japan.)

A widely-shared thread of posts on X compares Pals and Pokémon side-by-side, with many familiar species represented.

12. Luxray. I heard this one was removed from the game, though as someone who will not be buying it I can’t confirm that nor if it’s similarity to luxray was why pic.twitter.com/woAGrgLYpl— Cecilia Fae