According to Palworld community manager John ‘Bucky’ Buckley, Pocketpair, the developer of Palworld, was taken by surprise by the legal action initiated by Nintendo and The Pokemon Company. The news of the lawsuit alleging patent infringement came as a shock to the studio, as it was something that had not been considered before.
Nintendo and The Pokemon Company filed the lawsuit against Pocketpair in September, claiming that Palworld infringes multiple patent rights. The outcome of the legal battle remains uncertain, with many speculations circulating.
Speaking at GDC, Buckley described the studio’s reaction to the legal action, stating, “This obviously came as a shock to us. I think it came as a shock to a lot of people because it’s alleged patent infringement, which is something that no one even considered, and it’s something that we’re still hashing out basically.”
Buckley mentioned that Pocketpair had conducted legal checks before the release of Palworld, which were cleared in Japan. The news of the lawsuit had a significant impact on the studio, causing changes in plans and the need to hire security guards.
Aside from seeking an injunction against Palworld, Pocketpair could face payments of “five million yen plus late payment damages” to both Nintendo and The Pokemon Company individually if they lose the case, totaling around ten million yen.
