Palworld developer names Fallout, Final Fantasy, and Zelda in Nintendo patent lawsuit defense

Pocketpair, the studio behind Palworld, has claimed that several popular games already featured mechanics later patented by Nintendo as it continues its legal battle against the Japanese gaming giant over alleged patent infringement.

The details:

• Last year, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company sued Pocketpair, accusing the company of infringing on three of its patents related to gameplay, including catching monsters in a ball-like object and riding those same monsters. Pocketpair stated that it would fight the lawsuit, pointing out that the patents were filed in the months following Palworld's initial release in January 2024.

• As reported by Games Fray (via VGC), Pocketpair is now arguing in preparatory briefs that Nintendo's patents-in-suit should not have been granted, as other games featuring those mechanics were released before their filing. This includes its own title, Craftopia, which it claims contains several elements similar to Nintendo's monster-catching and fighting mechanics, as described in its patent.

• Not only has the studio used its own release as an example, but also several other popular games like Far Cry 5 and Final Fantasy XIV, as well as Nintendo's own The Legend of Zelda and Pikmin 3 Deluxe. It claims that several of these games show the probability of capturing targets during battle, include various types of throwable objects, and allow for the capture of in-game characters, therefore invalidating Nintendo and TPC's claims.

• Following its early access release in early 2024, Palworld was accused of copying Pokémon in terms of not only mechanics but also in-game creature models. Nintendo and TPC responded to the controversy by stating that they were investigating the situation, but no further action was taken until September, when the two companies filed a lawsuit seeking monetary damages and the removal of the game from storefronts.

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