Palworld Modders Restore Mechanics Amid Nintendo, Pokémon Lawsuit

Palworld modders are taking matters into their own hands by restoring gameplay mechanics that developer Pocketpair was compelled to remove due to ongoing legal action from Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. These changes were necessitated by a patent lawsuit, which forced Pocketpair to alter certain features in the game.

Last week, Pocketpair acknowledged that recent updates, including Patch v0.3.11 in November 2024 and Patch v0.5.5, were influenced by this litigation. Patch v0.3.11 modified the mechanic of summoning Pals from throwing Pal Spheres to a static summon beside the player. Meanwhile, Patch v0.5.5 changed the gliding mechanic to require a glider in the player's inventory rather than using Pals for flight, although Pals still offer passive gliding buffs.

Pocketpair's CEO, Takuro Mizobe, highlighted the overwhelming success of Palworld upon its early 2024 launch on Steam and Game Pass for Xbox and PC, where it was priced at $30. The game broke sales and concurrent player records, leading to significant profits that Pocketpair initially struggled to manage. Capitalizing on this success, Pocketpair formed a new business venture with Sony called Palworld Entertainment, aimed at expanding the game's intellectual property, and later released the game on PS5.

The legal battle stems from accusations that Palworld's Pals resemble Pokémon, leading to claims of design theft. However, instead of pursuing a copyright infringement lawsuit, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company opted for a patent lawsuit. They are seeking 5 million yen (approximately $32,846) each, plus late payment damages, and an injunction that could potentially block Palworld's release. The lawsuit focuses on three Japan-based patents related to capturing creatures in a virtual environment, similar to the mechanics in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

Pocketpair stated that without these changes, the gameplay experience could have deteriorated further. The studio described the modifications as "compromises" made to avoid a potential injunction that could halt the game's development and sales.

In response, modders have quickly moved to restore some of these altered mechanics. Notably, Primarinabee’s Glider Restoration mod, available on Nexus Mods, reintroduces the ability to glide using Pals, reversing the changes from Patch v0.5.5. This mod, uploaded on May 10, has already seen hundreds of downloads. Another mod aims to restore the original Pal summoning method, though it lacks the ball-throwing animation.

The longevity of these mods remains uncertain given the ongoing legal proceedings. At the Game Developers Conference in March, John "Bucky" Buckley, communications director and publishing manager for Pocketpair, discussed the studio's challenges, including the unexpected patent lawsuit from Nintendo, which he described as a "shock" to the team.