Nintendo Alters Patent Mid-Lawsuit Against Palworld Creator

The patent infringement lawsuit filed by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company against Pocketpair's survival game Palworld continues unfolding in Japan. In a curious recent development, Nintendo revised wording within one of its contested patents—but what prompted this unexpected maneuver?

Palworld became an instant phenomenon upon its January 2024 early access release on Steam and Xbox, selling 8 million copies in under a week and amassing 25 million players within a month. This open-world survival title features collectible creatures called Pals that players capture using sphere-like devices (Pal Spheres) and utilize for various tasks—mechanics that inevitably drew comparisons to Pokémon, earning Palworld its "Pokémon with guns" moniker.

While Nintendo and The Pokémon Company had monitored Palworld's ascent since launch (issuing a January 2024 statement regarding potential IP infringements), their formal lawsuit alleging patent violations wasn't filed until September 2024.

The litigation centers on three Japan Patent Office-approved patents derived from Nintendo's 2021 filings—two concerning creature capture/release mechanics and one covering mountable characters. Notably, these were submitted as divisional patents post-Palworld's release, suggesting strategic positioning against perceived infringements.

Pocketpair has since implemented gameplay adjustments—removing thrown-summon mechanics in November 2024 and altering Glider Pal interactions in May 2025—though Japanese patent attorney Kiyoshi Kurihara clarifies these represent standard legal defenses rather than admissions of guilt.

The rewritten patent specifically concerns mountable character mechanics. Pre-update, Palworld allowed direct interaction with flying Pals (grabbing their feet to glide)—a system potentially conflicting with Nintendo's patent specifications regarding "boardable character" controls. Post-update, gliding now utilizes equipment passively enhanced by Pals.

Ironically, Nintendo's original patent approval hinged on distinguishing "boardable characters" from tools—a definition now complicating claims against Palworld's glider-as-equipment implementation. Legal experts speculate Nintendo's verbose rewording (including unusually emphatic "even when" phrasing) aims to bolster the patent against invalidity challenges.

As proceedings continue, Palworld maintains developmental momentum, recently introducing crossover content with Terraria while this precedent-setting case unfolds.