Pokémon Company talks about Palworld: 'we will investigate and take action'
A Pokémon Companythe company responsible for the entire game franchise and products, commented on the Palworld case for the first time. The game was not mentioned directly, but it is clearly the subject of a statement released by the Japanese company this Thursday (25).
The short text informs that the company will thoroughly investigate Palworld's accusations of plagiarism and intellectual property theft. Investigations carried out and published in recent days on social media suggest that several of the Pals, as the game's creatures are called, allegedly had textures or even 3D models stolen of Pokémon.
What the Pokémon Company said about Palworld
“We received a lot of inquiries about a game from another company released in January 2024. We have not given any permission to use Pokémon elements or intellectual property in that game“, informs the brand, referring to Pocketpair's independent project.
Palworld's gameplay involves firearms.Source: Pocketpair
The Pokémon Company then says it will “investigate and take appropriate action to resolve any action that infringes intellectual property rights related to Pokémon.” So far, there is no set deadline for this to happen.
Furthermore, in a possible indirection to Palworld's gameplay, which has the trainer hitting creatures and can even give weapons to captured Pals, the company ends with a positive message. “We will continue to value and care for each Pokémon and its world, working to unite the world through Pokémon in the future”closes.
In an interview, a former legal head at the Pokémon Company stated that the game could be considered a copy.
Palworld has already conquered the industry
Released for PC via Steam and Xbox Series X/S on January 19, 2024, including in the Game Pass catalog. Palworld is an absolute success. The title has already surpassed the mark of 8 million copies sold and broke a historic Steam record for simultaneous players.
The game became a meme not only because of its suggestive name in Brazilian Portuguese, but also because it mixes elements of survival and resource collection with the use of weapons by the creatures — which are captured by magical spheres and kept in a team, just like the most popular franchise. famous. On social media, he is constantly called “Pokémon with weapons”.
One of the Pals, the creatures of Palworld.Source: Pocketpair
The developer rejected any type of copying accusation and also detailed future plans for the project. The idea is to gradually add elements such as crossplay, PvP and extra islands to the servers.
A fan-made mod that swaps the appearances of characters and creatures from Palworld with the look of Pokémon has been announced. The project, however, has already been closed after contact from Nintendo itself.
