Nintendo’s Legal Battle With Pocketpair Leads to Major Gameplay Adjustments in Palworld
The ongoing legal battle between Nintendo and Palworld developer Pocketpair is starting to impact the game itself. In a recent blog post, Pocketpair confirmed that it has made—and will continue to make—gameplay changes in response to the lawsuit.
Back in November, a patch removed some features, including the ability to summon creatures by throwing a “Pal Sphere,” a mechanic many compared to Pokémon’s Poké Balls. While Pocketpair didn’t list all the changes, the studio admitted these updates were a direct result of the legal situation.
“We’ve had to make compromises to ensure Palworld’s continued development and distribution,” the team said. While disappointing, Pocketpair said the changes were necessary to avoid bigger disruptions to the player experience.
More tweaks are on the way. In the upcoming v0.5.5 patch, gliding will be adjusted—players will use a glider instead of relying on Pals to glide.
Nintendo filed its patent infringement lawsuit in September, targeting mechanics like creature riding and throwing objects in a field as we all would expect it. At first, Pocketpair claimed it didn’t know what specific patents were involved, but the details were later revealed.
Despite the legal issues and forced changes, Pocketpair says it’s still focused on building out Palworld and releasing new content for players. Meanwhile, Nintendo is preparing to launch Pokémon Legends: Z-A later this year.
Although Palworld is trying to bring a new idea to the gaming world, it still seems as a parody for now and there are many more debates expected between Pocketpair and Nintendo in the upcoming weeks.
