Nintendo Sues Maker of ‘Palworld,’ a Game Some Have Called ‘Pokémon With Guns’

“Palworld,” a survival-strategy game known colloquially as “Pokémon With Guns,” is the target of a patent-infringement lawsuit filed by Nintendo and the Pokémon Co.

Nintendo said the lawsuit against Pocketpair, the company behind “Palworld,” was filed Sept. 18 in Tokyo District Court. The lawsuit seeks an injunction against the alleged infringement and compensation for damages “on the grounds that ‘Palworld,’ a game developed and released by the Defendant, infringes multiple patent rights,” according to Nintendo.

“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 company said in a statement Thursday.

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“Palworld” was released in January 2024 and quickly became a hit. On its website, Tokyo-based Pocketpair says, “Palworld is home to over 100 unique Pals, each equipped with a diverse set of skills to enhance the player’s adventure. Along your journey, you will also encounter formidable boss Pals that pose a challenge even for the most seasoned Pal tamers. Naturally, these boss Pals are also capturable.”

Responding to the Nintendo/Pokémon Co. lawsuit, Pocketpair said that it has “received notice of this lawsuit and will begin the appropriate legal proceedings and investigations into the claims of patent infringement.”

“At this moment, we are unaware of the specific patents we are accused of infringing upon, and we have not been notified of such details,” Pocketpair said in its statement. “Our goal as a company has always been to create fun games. We will continue to pursue this goal because we know that our games bring joy to millions of gamers around the world.”

Pocketpair continued, “It is truly unfortunate that we will be forced to allocate significant time to matters unrelated to game development due to this lawsuit. However, we will do our utmost for our fans, and to ensure that indie game developers are not hindered or discouraged from pursuing their creative ideas.”

In July, Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) and anime subsidiary Aniplex inked a deal with Pocketpair to establish a new joint venture, Palworld Entertainment, to “promote the domestic and international licensing business” of “Palworld” and “further expand the IP.”