Palworld has dropped simultaneously on Steam and Xbox Game Pass. Commonly referred to as “Pokémon with guns,” the game is making waves in the gaming community. Despite its early access status, the title has sold over one million copies in 8 hours. Players are excited to try out this new open-world survival game featuring cartoon monsters.
However, there are some outsiders who believe Palworld is in legal trouble with Pokémon and Nintendo. While certain pals are similar to Pokémon designs, they are not outright the exact same. Palworld has already sold over one million copies with that total only going up. Will the devs face legal action from The Pokémon Company? Or are the character designs different enough to count as original characters?
From Announcement to Xbox Game Pass Release: Palworld
Palworld was originally shown off during Xbox’s Tokyo Game Show Digital Broadcast. Colorful monsters are running around like Pokémon but they’re wielding assault rifles and machine guns. Base building and crafting are a huge component to Palworld’s gameplay.
Alongside other features like multiplayer, character customization, and third-person shooting, Palworld is painting a very different picture compared to Nintendo’s Pokémon.
Now that Palworld is on Early Access for Xbox Game Pass and Steam, it has taken over the gaming space. Countless YouTubers and content creators are trying it out because who wouldn’t want to play a game referred to as “Pokémon with guns”?
Despite players enjoying this fresh title, some Twitter/X users are not okay with Palworld’s success and cannot believe The Pokémon Company/Nintendo are not taking legal action against the project.
How are you not being sued by @GAMEFREAK_info and @Nintendo for ripping off their monster designs???
— Ty D. '80s HALLOWEEN MONTH Guy!!!🎃🤡👻🧙♀️🎃 (@TyNN80s) January 19, 2024
I honestly cannot believe that the Palworld devs haven't been sued by Nintendo. Some of these monster designs are near 1 for 1 with some Pokémon. pic.twitter.com/iJhOYl31tb
— Tom Caswell (@GreatBriTom) January 19, 2024
Is Palworld in Danger? Will Nintendo Take Legal Action?
Calling the monsters of Palworld rip-offs of Pokémon or how they’re “near 1 for 1 some Pokémon” might trigger the developers, Pocketpair, to lawyer up and prepare a battle in court. Will they actually get in trouble with The Pokémon Company/Nintendo? Most likely not.
Looking into Pocketpair’s past games, they also created Craftopia. On the surface, it looks like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. With its art style and colors, you would assume Nintendo would take legal action because of its similarities to Zelda. Nintendo have not taken any action yet and Craftopia is available for purchase on Steam and the Xbox store.
If Nintendo didn’t touch Craftopia, what makes you think they’ll touch Palworld? Another Twitter/X user has come in the defense of Palworld, showing the similarities between Pokémon and Dragon Quest monsters.
Seeing the pokemon community get up in arms about palworld is hilarious
— FocusedSloth (@FocusedSloth) January 18, 2024
"Oh they stole designs and changed them a bit"
Bitch there's like 1000 of the bastards, it's impossible to make a monster game where some don't look a little like one of them
Also remember gen 1? pic.twitter.com/wXXGFxB4PA
While it’s not 100% certain that Palworld is safe, The Pokémon Company/Nintendo have not done anything yet. If they were going to take legal action, they would have done it back in September when the gameplay trailer dropped.
If you’re curious how the “Pokémon with guns” game plays, Palworld is playable via Early Access for Steam and Xbox Game Pass. Craftopia is still in early access as well, so expect Palworld to retain this Early Access status for a while.
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