Palworld has taken the world by storm with its open world, familiar mechanics, and survival gameplay. Similar success was seen with Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons which took advantage of the condition of the world by playing in doors prompting consumers to go and buy the game, a year later, a Japanese developer called Pocket Pair unveiled their new game that bears a striking resemblance with Nintendo’s Pokémon and became the game that fans have been begging for years.
The success is evident with almost 25 million players and sold 15 million copies on Steam alone, the developers certainly left a mark on the game space and perhaps secured their seat for years to come. Dubbed ‘Pokémon with guns’, this prompted Nintendo to respond as the Pokémon Company acknowledges the similarities.
The most notable similarity is the Pals themselves looking like ripoff Pokémon. Pocket Pair developers received death threats and harassment from the online community about copyright infringement but without solid proof, the game will remain playable as they reached an incredible milestone with the combined effort of Steam and Xbox Game Pass.
Palworld in Peril?
Pokémons with guns in the flesh.
Despite being accused of copying a well-known IP, the developers did not deny that their game was heavily inspired but not by the game franchise everyone expects. It drew inspiration from the survival gameplay of Ark: Survival Evolved which also had companions in the form of dinosaurs, in-game tasks were based on Rust, and the role-playing aspect from the Dragon Quest franchise. There were many other sources of inspiration but what caught the attention of the masses is the fact players could battle these Pals and capture them akin to the concept of catching Pokémon.
While other games inspired Palworld such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, a well-known Nintendo first-party franchise and universally praised as the standard for open-world games, and there is Minecraft which influenced the crafting and building aspects. Elden Ring featured areas that were notably similar in this title, and many more familiar gaming tropes.
Palworld is a product of inspiration or imitation?
In every tale of rise to success, there will always be controversies. This case has valid points but it doesn’t change the fact that millions of users across Steam and Xbox Game Pass are having the time of their lives with this game.
The threat of a possible takedown is imminent once Nintendo gets involved with concrete evidence of infringement found but the developers seem unbothered. It may seem that this game is a parody of a well-known gaming IP but it is actually rich in content, granted some of it is unoriginal but the prevailing factor is the fact it is accessible on a subscription service like Game Pass and continues to move numbers on Steam is a success on its own right and that can’t be ignored or taken.
