Palworld is breaking sales records on Steam right now, and has simultaneously been criticized and praised for its similarity to the Pokemon RPGs. In fact, the gameplay and some of the creature designs are so similar that it has caught the attention of Nintendo and The Pokemon Company, who released a statement saying they are investigating Palworld for possible copyright infringement.
“We have received many inquiries regarding another company’s game released in January 2024. We have not granted any permission for the use of Pokemon intellectual property or assets in that game. We intend to investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to the Pokemon.”
I’m sure developer Pocket Pair, Inc. knew this was coming eventually, and are probably prepared for it.
On the other hand, given the poor state of the Pokemon RPGs of late, it’s not surprising at all that a game like Palworld was made, which seems to be giving Pokemon fans a lot of what they’ve wanted from the Pokemon games for years. It’s sold eight millions copies in less than six days on Steam and it’s not even finished. It’s still in Early Access and is only about 60% complete according to Pocket Pair.
This is the first time in its almost 30 year history that Pokemon has seen anything close to serious competition in the genre it created back in 1996, and Nintendo and The Pokemon Company don’t sound too happy about it.
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