Patent Offices in U.S., Japan Raise Questions About Nintendo’s ‘Palworld’ Lawsuit

By Ian Wood Released in early access on January 19, 2024, Palworld is an open-world survival game often described as “Pokémon with guns.” Players capture creatures called “Pals” and use them for combat, traversal, and base building. After a brief honeymoon period following launch, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Pocketpair, the Tokyo based developer behind Palworld, in September 2024. The companies alleged that Palworld infringed patents cov