Nintendo’s Legal Dispute with Pocketpair Seems Trivial

The moment Pocketpair launched Palworld and its inaugural trailer, my reaction was, “Nintendo won’t be pleased with this.” The reason being, it’s not just the mechanics that resembled Pokémon. The physical appearance was very alike Pokémon too. Several creatures showcased in that video made me question if they were actually Pokémon.

Undeniably, there are distinctions such as the aspect of survival game, factory, and gun building, but that was another reason for my prediction that Nintendo would commence legal proceedings before the game hits the market. Considering neither Nintendo nor The Pokémon Company would want their game associated with elements of weapons and sweatshops.

In our initial discussions, we also speculated that Square Enix might join the legal battle, given the fact one creature crafting guns appeared somewhat like a carbuncle – compelling one of our authors to nickname it “gunbunkle”. As most organisms bore a significant resemblance to Pokémon, we assumed Nintendo would be the first to retaliate against this minor corporation.

In reality, however, nothing happened initially. Palworld was introduced and had been in the market for a while before Nintendo even mentioned they were planning a probe.

It’s worth noting, commercial copyright doesn’t work in this manner and Nintendo’s attempt to sue at that point wouldn’t have gotten them anywhere. Although, from an outsider’s perspective, it seems most probable grounds for a lawsuit would be customer confusion between the two game products.

What seems rather unusual is the move to generate patents for game mechanics post-factum. Whether Nintendo and the Pokémon company “conceived” these mechanics, as Pocketpair stated, doesn’t make them exclusive to their games.

Why didn’t anyone fret when other games were deploying capturing and throwing mechanics? It’s a crucial question that calls for a cogent response. As this scenario drags on, and Pocketpair continues to highlight more examples of games using these elements, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company appear increasingly absurd.