Palworld Is Now Available on PS5 in Japan After Delayed Launch

Let's just say that Nintendo has a case. Why now?

Not really of interest me, but I do find it strange Nintendo can patent the mechanic of throwing and object to capture a creature, but specially as this predates Pokémon.

@naruball I think a previous article mentioned that they were working their lawyers hard to find the best reasons for the lawsuit, so maybe it just took that long

Let’s play it while we can.

It’s not like Nintendo hasn’t taken a lot of ideas from the whole gaming scene over the years, sometimes blatantly, but here I do stand with them as this game really capitalizes on people associating it with Pokémon and Pokémon characters.

I hope Nintendo loses this lawsuit, whether they are actually right or not.
The idea that they would sue their apparent competitors into oblivion instead of just making better games is so undeniably pathetic, I can't even

Poor Pokémon enjoyers can´t catch a break with this company

@Nei stolen designs from dragon quest is the most famous but yeah take got a long dark history

@Drago201 and monster -snatching mechanic as well, from DQV. I hope the DQ designs come up in the Pal World lawsuit.

As first hand playing experience some were really shocking imho: Stunt Race FX is a blatant Virtua Racing ripoff, Breath of the wild is a love letter to shadow of the colossus. Little Big Planet was pillaged in concept and aesthetic by several Nintendo games …and yeah the list goes on and on.

@thefourfoldroot1
The patent itself is kinda generic and probably wouldn't hold out in court, but when you factor in that Palworld also uses a spherical object... then yeah, now Nintendo has a case because throwing a ball to capture a monster is often associated with a certain game.

@Yagami Nintendo consistently release some of the best, most creative games every generation - three of the top five games of all time on Metacritic are Nintendo. Eight of the top twenty are them. And no one is buying the Switch (which is close to being the best-selling console of all time) for its potato-spec third party ports.

These guys aren't their competitors, and the moment that footage from Palworld was first seen it screamed "Nintendo lawsuit" because, well, just look at it.

They're hurting Nintendo's/TPC's mind share that people have with Pokémon that's for sure and I'd say it's about time since the games are just rinse and repeat buggy messes that comes from two big multi billion dollar companies. I can imagine that will be a small reason and it is a petty one at that.

This is interesting as this implies the patents only effect Japan and not the rest of the world.

Am i the only one who has the game size as 5 gb on ps5? Any explanation for this?

As a personal data point, I’d heard the name Palworld but not being a PC gamer had never seen it and not been across the controversy… but for at least half the trailer shown in today’s reveal I was utterly convinced - and trying to compute the how or why - that Nintendo had made a Pokémon game for the PS5. 👀🙀😅

@EYEBALL Palworld is an ant compared to Pokemon so no this has nothing to do with it impacting Pokemon as it doesn't. As for "rinse and repeat" yeah that's objectively false considering Legends and S&V were massive shake ups for the series.

Wait, so copying a formula and making something similar isn’t allowed? Why didn’t Nintendo sue when Sony made PS All-Stars?

@Yagami I was under the impression that they usually sue people/companies, etc right away. Faster than anyone.

from my perspective, there are 'similarities' - but the game isn't the same as Pokemon - its as different as Doom and Call of Duty. Both Doom and CoD are First Person Shooter, both have very similar shooting mechanics, both have similarities and they all copy the hands/gun at the bottom centre style, often with Map top Left and Ammo bottom right. These have more in common than Palworld, which also borrows from minecraft with Resource gathering/building and 'Pals' are often not used to 'battle' like Pokemon, but to do some of the chores etc at your 'base' leading to a very different Game-play loop...

Sorry off topic: Atlus just released a prologue demo for Metaphor on PSN (and maybe for Xbox & PC as well). It has english & japan dub/sub, size 27 gigs.

On topic. As usual from Nintendo. I found it ironic though that Pokemon design is a blatant copy of Dragon Quest monsters. And the capture + collect monsters and used them in battle was started by Atlus Megami Tensei back in 1987 where players can persuade aka 'capture' demons and summon them in battle.

But here we are with Nintendo suing small devs :/

@CielloArc
And yet it was done before that game. The timing of the patent is also interesting. It’s seems a stretch, but I guess easy to get around by making the capture device a cube, or just a gun shot or something. Don’t see why they should have to though.

I can only agree that from a distant point of view, for someone who does not really know what this is all about, this game REALLY seems like a direct Pokémon rip-off, capitalizing in all its advertising campaign on this confusion for the mass market ("Hey... is it... Is it Pokémon ? WOW WITH GUNS NOW !!!!")

So I think, in this case, Nintendo may have, well... a case.

But I might be wrong, what do I know ?

@DennisReynolds These things usually only directly affect the country where the company is located/the patent is filed.

For example when a patent troll sues Apple in the US, any threat made against Apple (be it a ruling or a temporary measure while the case is ongoing) only applies in the US. Any effect elsewhere would require either a proven case first, or a separate suit.

In this case I think this is just them being cautious. It's probably not a good idea to release a product you are being sued over in the country you are being sued in a few days after the suit is filed.

@LowDefAl Oh i know that i'm just saying Nintendo didn't try taking it out for other countries as well.

@Nei I always chuckle at the memory of Ubisoft's Immortals being accused of "cloning BotW" while many ongoing playthroughs like my own were still busy climbing Sheikah towers to unlock more of the map.

@DennisReynolds and Legends is getting a followup now.

But I was told by multiple people ditching PS5 because of the Pro that Nintendo was super consumer-friendly...

@DennisReynolds Yeah i agree with you on that one mucker because the last time i kept up with the games it was years ago (after gen 4 i think) and the recent ones do look different compared to the isometric top down games from years ago but with the massive popularity and uproar, when it came out, i can imagine it did rattle their cages and it popped their bubbles for a brief moment that has lead them to start thinking differently but like you and i said, it is a ant and the mind share they have will probably not make much of a difference but a small amount of money could be lost.

@naruball Yea that has been my general understanding as well. I´m sure they had "lawsuit" in mind the second Palworld launched, but I guess they had to try really hard to find one that would actually have a high chance of succeeding. It already sounds like they´re grasping at straws from what little I read, so initial ideas for the lawsuit must have been even worse

Nintendo love a good lawsuit. I bought it so even if it gets delisted I'm still having my fun

@MrPeanutbutterz I mean, I´m sure Nintendo makes some great games nowadays (I hate the new 3d zelda formula, BotW killed my favorite Nintendo series, what a ***** game)

That said I do think Palworld is great and much needed competition towards Pokémon, because:

• it makes modern Pokémon games look bad
• it gets people to not buy a Switch

In the same vein of creature collector games, I would argue SMT and Dragon Quest Monsters are competition for Pokémon. And when you compare all of those games, Pokémon really shines as the worst of the bunch (in my opinion)

@jrt87 What makes you think I don't?

@Yagami bro what, Breath of the Wild saved the series 😂😂 if we left everything up to the fans then Mario would never be more than a 2D sidescroller

@PuppetMaster Nintendo has also promoted monster catching games on their channel. What Palworld does is patent infringement which is totally different and uncreative

@Yagami Not sure anyone looked at Palworld and halted their potential Switch purchase. You don't like BotW (I don't either for what it's worth), but that doesn't change the fact that Nintendo make great games that are beloved by many, and Palworld isn't competition, rather it's trying to ride on Pokemon's coattails with blatant character design theft, and an apparent patent theft.

I can't find the quote right now, but I'm pretty sure one of the head honchos of the developer said they've little interest in making original games.

Patents on game mechanics suck. What if dark souls slapped a bunch of patents on their formula? This industry was built on sharing ideas. Genres like "souls-like", "doom-like", etc are pretty literal in their copying of another games formula and the industry is stronger with those copies as each one usually brings at least one new idea to the old formula that becomes standard.

Nintendo is easily my least favorite of the major platforms.

@BacklogBrad exactly. Even if you copy something, it doesn't mean it will be successful. We've seen that happen plenty of times.

@Akurusu So you're saying Nintendo is okay to blatantly copying other games mechanics and design just because they promoted other monsters games on their channel. But a small indie devs like Pocket Pair can't used whatever mechanics / design from Pokemon?

Yeah i hope Nintendo lose.

@CielloArc what are you basing the claim that the patent wouldn’t hold in court on?

@MrPeanutbutterz You can argue that it´s theft and I´m sure many would agree. I think that many more would agree that it´s a pathetic situation caused by Nintendo, because they can´t stand the idea that some small indie dev team could make a better product than them just by stealing/copying some ideas here and there.

If you don´t think that Palworld and Pokémon target the same market (i.e. they are competitors), then what game would you say is a competitor?

As I stated before, I believe SMT, DQM and Palworld are all games in the same niche of monster collecting RPGs, and as such share a broad market appeal, which is in my mind the reason Nintendo is pursuing this lawsuit: to get rid of competition so they can keep being lazy with their Pokémon franchise.

@Bobobiwan yes regardless of the veracity of Nintendos claims, which no one can actually speak to with any authority because not enough information is out, this game tried to copy Pokémon. It’s a weak move I’m not sure why people are defending it. This game strikes me as a lazy cash grab.

@RubyCarbuncle ...What? Nintendo and Pocketpair are both Japanese lol

@Akurusu BotW is the inverse of everything that made Zelda special in my opinion.

Instead of long, thematic and connected dungeons you have these small, disconnected shrines. The 4 beast shrines are conceptually really interesting, but way too small.

Progression is limited to breakable weapons and armor, everything else you receive directly at the beginning.

Instead of more compact open worlds, you have this gigantic map filled with Ubisoft-tier collectibles (korok seeds, shrines, etc.)

There are a total of what, ~6 "boss" fights in BotW? And 4 of them are visually indistinctive. Usually the boss fights are a highlight of the Zelda games, testing you on the usage of the dungeon item. In BotW I only liked the first ganon phase

Instead of a tight story that unfolds naturally throughout the game, you have these disconnected memory cutscenes that you can completely ignore and then the ending.

Combat was dumbed down dramatically to accommodate the breakable weapon system. The dodge/parry mechanics + the inventory full of craftable healing items completely trivialize any encounter (not that Zelda was ever that hard, but the balancing quality goes completely out the window with BotW)

The thing about Nintendo is that they're a terrifying entity to cross swords with in the legal system. AFAIK they pretty much only initiate a lawsuit when they're certain they'll win. So, yeah, grab this while you can, lol.

@Ralizah Yea they get a lot of crap for being overly litigious but considering how much their IP is actually infringed I think they usually show restraint.

@IamJT All things being equal, Nintendo is pretty permissive and frequently works with and promotes third-party entities who create similar types of games. They have strong ties to companies across the industry and like to promote up and coming developers.

You have to do something pretty blatant to annoy them to this degree.

They have no case... now get ready for Bragon Ball D.. only on xbox

@Yagami Occam's razor my dude - they're persuing a lawsuit because just look at those characters, and the fact that the game is called "Pokémon with guns" by a lot of people. And that Nintendo are like a rabid dog protecting their IP.

I'm surprised that Push square hasn't covered the hilarious Stellar Blade law suit, honestly the things people will do for clout...

@RubyCarbuncle But the article is about how Palworld isn't releasing on PS5 in Japan...

@Waitinonpsvr2 That would be a copyright and trademark issue not a patent issue. And it’s way to early to say they have no case.

@jrt87 Ninty is really known for their horrible nonsense everywhere especially with copyright strikes. I hope they lose these people made a better Pokemon on their first try then Ninty in decades and they seem to get worse instead of better.

@Ralizah They also destroyed YouTubers who played their games and destroyed them. Nintendo is not always the good thats a fact. And that from a guy who loved his SNES so much.

Nintendo isn't suing them based on monster designs or genre (as others have said, there are tons of other monster collectors out there that Nintendo hasn't gone after, many are on Nintendo systems, some they even promote), so them not having a case because Pokemon "copied SMT or Dragon Quest" isn't really relevant, because that's not what the case is even about.

They are alleging that Pocketpair infringed on something on the back end/mechanical/coding side, and really no one knows what it entails at this point (even the allegations that they're suing based on a "capture a monster in a ball" mechanic is just a guess at this time. It may have nothing to do with that).

I'm not saying Nintendo is going to be in the right, but there's a ton of jumping to conclusions going on here.

It's scummy but scummy practices are what I've come to expect from almost any big company in this industry, even my favorites like Sega.

@Flaming_Kaiser They're a corporation. Best not to think of them as 'good guy/bad guy.' My only point is that they're not ones to needlessly antagonize other companies, and prefer to build bridges to strengthen their own position in the industry.

At least now. They were pretty vicious in the 90s.

@RubyCarbuncle Oh it's okay, forgive my misunderstanding.

@DennisReynolds IIRC the patents that are likely in question are related to databasing (FFS), were registered in Japan prior to Palworld, but registered in the US, elsewhere, AFTER Palworld, so this suit could only actually work in Japan and not outside.

Still my whole impression is that they hated that the game literally copied their art style to use their brand power to sell the game (scummy on Palworlds part) ,but couldn't find a solid suit. They were allegedly pressuring retailers and media in Japan to ignore the existence of Palworld. And meanwhile had their lawyers just search for "anything" they could find to hang it with.

It makes me hate everything about Nintendo more, and yet, I can't say Palworld is innocent, they intentionally copied Pokemon's aesthetics for obvious beneficial reasons like waving a piece of meat in front of a wolf.

@Ralizah "at least now"
I was gonna say...half the companies in the industry exist because of their hatred of Nintendo and Nintendo's inability to play nicely with anyone. EA exists because Nintendo sucked. They improved under Iwata, but I suspect they're back to their old chicanery these days. Nintendo never improved, they simply borrowed Iwata for a time.

@Yagami 'Whether they are right or not'? So they shouldn't be able to protect their IP? What a stupid comment.

I went to play this last night just in case Nintendo wins and the game is taken down. Why did I think this was a free game?

@NEStalgia Nah. That was under different leadership, and in an era where they spent a good decade or more being the big kahuna of console gaming.

Nintendo has always been proactive in terms of using legal recourses to protect their patents and IPs.

@PocketHotDogs The developers have tooled with the idea of making it F2P, and articles were written about that. Might be what you were thinking of.

@Ralizah Ah, that may be it. Thanks for clarifying that I'm not crazy.

@Ralizah They're only on their 3rd CEO. Patriarch Yamauchi was the big bad that everyone loathed (and caused PlayStation to happen ), Iwata who cleaned house. We're only on the 3rd exec, and they're radio silent and finding backdoor reasons to sue people. I'd say Iwata was the exception. We're back to the lieutenants acting for the old patriarch again. After spending nearly a decade being the big kahuna of console gaming again.

Because Japan is spesh? And Pokémon only exists in Japan.

@RubyCarbuncle Yeah I'm aware. Nintendo clearly took their time and came to the conclusion that they can get them for the patents.

That doesn't change the fact that there's similarities and Nintendo will do whatever is in their power to stop this game. So persuing the case that has the most chance of winning makes the most sense.

@__jamiie Yea, do you punish someone by ruining their life, just because they slighted you? Nintendo is far too huge that they should care about the peanuts that Palworld represents in the grand scheme of things. Standing on principle is one thing, but you have to draw a line somewhere.
It´s like a rich castle owner shooting a starving child, because the child unlawfully wandered onto the owners property and stole some bread. Just another complete overreaction and a show of dominance, by a lazy, greedy tyrant.

@Ralizah Sony does the exact same thing? Their biggest mistake is getting Bungie most of the companies they work with have a good relationship with the brand or they provide support to help with their ports of the game.

@Yagami Yeah it's nothing like that example at all.

And Nintendo are "lazy" now?

@MrPeanutbutterz What do you mean "now"? Have you seen the recent state of Pokémon and Zelda? It´s pretty bad

@Yagami The last mainline Zelda game is at 96% on Metacritic. The spinoff that's released today is at 86%. If that's "bad", then what do you consider good?

@Yagami

..... I don't even know how to comment on this. Pokémon, maybe.. for some shills online that complain about ONE thing (the framerate) while ignoring the excellent rest of the game.
But Zelda? This franchise is quite possibly the most alive of ANY main franchise right now. Saying otherwise is not just dumb and ignorant, but just plain foolish

Take that, Ninty!

There is pretty strong evidence that some of the Palworld assets are directly modified Pokémon assets, that’s a step beyond just copying some mechanics and art style in my opinion. It should be interesting to see how it all plays out. I think Nintendo only brought this case out once it was pretty damn solid.

I really hope Nintendo win this, even though I don't like when Nintendo do things like this. But seeing as pal world looks exactly like Pokémon characters, I think Nintendo should win this. They should change their characters look.

@CutchuSlow @commentlife Nintendo would directly sue someone if they know they have a chance at winning. Thats probably why they took their time.

Also their parent patent was filed in 2021, with 4 other sub patents 2 filed in 2022 and 2 in 2024. But under that parent patent they are classified as patents from 2021.

This whole patent thing might be just a way for Nintendo to see if Palworld did use AI theft and directly steal Pokemon looks.

@Maubari Pokemon is Pokémon. It has the brand.

Also whoever said Zelda is in a bad slate? Like the new one is pretty good. TOTK had a 96 on MC. EOW had a 86. That's still pretty damn good.

Pokemon has no chance of successfully suing for one reason, they are only on the Switch. Release it on PS5 and you may have an argument, but currently this is a dead end suit.

I want to buy this game just to make sure I don’t spend that money on a Nintendo game