Pocketpair Fights Back: Palworld Dev Challenges Nintendo’s Patent Lawsuit with Bold Defense

The legal showdown between Palworld developer Pocketpair and Nintendo just got a lot more interesting. After Nintendo filed a lawsuit last year in Japan alleging Palworld violated three of its patents—presumably tied to Pokémon—Pocketpair has finally revealed its defense strategy, and it’s a double-barreled approach: invalidate the patents, and argue that Palworld doesn’t infringe on them anyway.

Not So Original? Pocketpair Says Nintendo’s Patents Don’t Hold Up

Let’s start with the big one—Pocketpair claims Nintendo’s patents shouldn’t have been granted in the first place. Their lawyers are pointing to “prior art,” a legal term for earlier games or technologies that supposedly did what Nintendo is now trying to patent.

In court documents filed in February (via Gamesfray), Pocketpair laid out example after example, starting with their own Craftopia, then branching out to ARK: Survival Evolved, Tomb Raider, Far Cry 5, Final Fantasy XIV, and even fan-made mods like Pocket Souls for Dark Souls 3. The developer argues that Nintendo’s patents just remix existing mechanics that were already well known in gaming years before Palworld was a thing.

For example:

• Patent 1 (Capturing with monsters or items): Pocketpair claims games like Rune Factory 5, Pikmin 3 Deluxe, and Titanfall 2 already showed players how to throw items or monsters in specific directions. And games like Final Fantasy XIV, Octopath Traveler, and Pocket Souls demonstrated selecting targets and indicating success rates—long before Nintendo filed this patent.

• Patent 2 (Mode-based capturing): They cite a cocktail of prior games—Nukamon (a Fallout mod), Monster Super League, Craftopia, and even Pokémon Sword & Shield—to argue that Nintendo’s claimed mechanics are just a mashup of common gameplay elements.

• Patent 3 (Smooth creature riding): Here, Pocketpair goes straight for the jugular, saying ARK: Survival Evolved already nailed this concept by itself. No combination needed. But just in case, they also throw in ArcheAge, Riders of Icarus, and even The Legend of Zelda for good measure.

Their legal team’s argument boils down to this: you can’t just patent a gameplay idea that’s been floating around for years in other titles and then go after competitors who use it differently.

Image: A player captured Quivern, a dragon-type Pal from Palworld.

No Infringement Either, Says Pocketpair

Even if the court decides Nintendo’s patents are valid, Pocketpair isn’t folding. Their second line of defense argues that Palworld doesn’t even use the mechanics in the way Nintendo describes.

A key part of their argument is genre. Pokémon is a turn-based RPG centered around monster collection and battling, while Palworld is a survival-crafting game with guns, factories, and yes—Pals you can ride into battle. Different genres, different gameplay flow.

• Patent 1: Pocketpair says Palworld doesn’t clearly separate combat and non-combat modes like Pokémon does, and its button inputs don’t match the descriptions in Nintendo’s filing.

• Patent 2: According to Pocketpair, Palworld doesn’t use the "mode switching" system Nintendo patented at all. They even cite a Japanese patent attorney who suggested the second patent was filed specifically to target Palworld.

• Patent 3: The smooth-mounting mechanic? Pocketpair insists Palworld requires extra input steps, so it’s not as automatic or seamless as Nintendo describes. Plus, there’s no system that lets you selectively board only flying creatures.

Stakes Are High—And Pocketpair’s Bringing Backup

The case was filed on September 18, 2024, in Tokyo District Court (Case number: Reiwa 6 (Wa) No. 70421) and includes both Nintendo and The Pokémon Company as plaintiffs. Pocketpair has assembled a strong legal squad with 13 lawyers from top firms Nishimura & Asahi and Sugimura & Partners leading the charge.

To win, Pocketpair only needs to invalidate or prove non-infringement for each of the three patents. That’s doable—but no small feat. If Nintendo wins, Palworld could face a sales injunction in Japan and damages of up to 5 million yen (roughly $35,000 USD).

Palworld’s Meteoric Rise—and What’s at Stake

This lawsuit is a serious moment for Pocketpair, whose survival game took the world by storm when it launched on January 19, 2024. The game racked up over 32 million players across Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation—and even spawned its own publishing label.

So far, Pocketpair’s new label has announced three projects: an unnamed horror title from Surgent Studios, Truckful (a quirky vehicle adventure), and Never Grave, a 2D roguelite currently in early access.

If this lawsuit goes south, it could put a major dent in that momentum. But for now, Pocketpair seems ready to go the distance.