Palworld Surges to 32M Players Amid Nintendo's Looming Pokémon Lawsuit

Palworld has achieved a remarkable milestone, attracting over 32 million players across all platforms since its early access launch in January 2024. The game, developed by Pocketpair and often referred to as "Pokémon with guns," has seen success on PC via Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation 5.

Pocketpair expressed their gratitude on social media, stating, "Thank you so much! As always, your support means the world to us!" They also promised to enhance the game further, with John 'Bucky' Buckley, the Communications Director and Publishing Manager, adding, "We will continue to work hard to make Palworld year 2 even better!"

Launched at $30 on Steam and included in Game Pass for Xbox and PC, Palworld broke sales and concurrent player records upon release. The overwhelming success led to significant profits, which Pocketpair's CEO Takuro Mizobe admitted the company struggled to manage. In response, Pocketpair quickly capitalized on the game's popularity by signing a deal with Sony to create Palworld Entertainment, aimed at expanding the IP and bringing the game to PS5.

Amidst ongoing updates and enhancements to Palworld, Pocketpair faces a high-profile patent lawsuit from Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. Following Palworld's launch, accusations of design similarities between Palworld's Pals and Pokémon surfaced, prompting legal action. Instead of pursuing a copyright infringement lawsuit, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company opted for a patent lawsuit, seeking 5 million yen (approximately $32,846) each, plus late payment damages and an injunction to block Palworld's release.

Pocketpair confirmed in November that the lawsuit revolves around three Japan-based patents related to capturing Pokémon in a virtual field. Palworld features a similar mechanic where players use a Pal Sphere to capture monsters, akin to the system in the 2022 Nintendo Switch game Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Recent changes to how players summon Pals in Palworld have led to speculation that these adjustments are related to the ongoing patent dispute.

Legal experts view the lawsuit as a sign of the competitive threat posed by Palworld. Pocketpair remains determined to defend its position in court, stating, "We will continue to assert our position in this case through future legal proceedings."

Despite the legal challenges, Pocketpair has continued to support Palworld with major updates and has even ventured into collaborations with other popular games, including a crossover with Terraria.