Palworld Surges to 32 Million Players Amid Nintendo Lawsuit

Since its early access launch in January 2024, Palworld, the crafting and survival game described as "Pokémon with guns," has amassed over 32 million players across PC (Steam), Xbox, and PlayStation 5.

Developer Pocketpair expressed gratitude for this phenomenal success, promising continued efforts to enhance Palworld in its second year. John 'Bucky' Buckley, Pocketpair's Communications Director and Publishing Manager, highlighted the team's dedication to improvement.

Palworld's initial release, priced at $30 on Steam and included in Xbox and PC Game Pass, shattered sales and concurrent player records. The game's overwhelming success presented a significant challenge for Pocketpair, as CEO Takuro Mizobe revealed the company struggled to manage the resulting massive profits. Despite this, Pocketpair capitalized on the momentum, forming a partnership with Sony to establish Palworld Entertainment, an entity focused on expanding the Palworld intellectual property and its presence on new platforms, including the PS5 launch.

However, a high-stakes patent lawsuit with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company casts a shadow over Palworld's triumph. Following the game's launch, comparisons between Palworld's Pals and Pokémon led to accusations of design plagiarism. Instead of pursuing a copyright infringement claim, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company opted for a patent lawsuit, seeking 5 million yen (approximately $32,846) each in damages, plus late payment penalties, and an injunction to halt Palworld's distribution.

Pocketpair acknowledged the three Japanese patents at the heart of the dispute, which center on the mechanic of capturing creatures in a virtual environment—a mechanic present in Palworld's Pal Sphere system, bearing similarities to that in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Intriguingly, Pocketpair recently altered the Pal summoning mechanism, prompting speculation about its connection to the lawsuit.

Patent law experts view the lawsuit as a testament to the significant threat Palworld poses. The outcome of the legal battle, should it not be settled beforehand, remains uncertain. Despite the legal challenge, Pocketpair remains steadfast in its defense, vowing to vigorously contest the claims in court.

Amidst the legal proceedings, Pocketpair continues to deliver substantial updates to Palworld and has even forged collaborations with other prominent video game franchises, including a notable partnership with Terraria.