The Pokemon Company Issues Statement on Palworld Similarities

A week after the release of Palworld in early access, The Pokemon Company issued an official statement. There has been a lot of controversy regarding the similarities between Pokemon and Pocketpair’s survival game, as Palworld features various creatures that look just like The Pokemon Company’s pocket monsters.

The release of Palworld in early access on January 19 took the gaming world by storm. In the first six days after launch, the game sold over 8 million units and reached 2 million concurrent players on Steam. Palworld became one of the most popular Steam games of all time. Players quickly dubbed Palworld as “Pokemon with guns,” as Pocketpair’s game features various monsters to capture that can equip weapons. Besides collecting these monsters, known as Pals, the goal of Palworld is to uncover the secrets of the Palpagos Islands and build a base to craft tools and cook food to avoid dying from hunger.

As controversies rise regarding the similarities between the creatures from Palworld and Pokemon, The Pokemon Company issued an official statement saying it “intend[s] to investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to the Pokemon.” While The Pokemon Company didn’t address Palworld by name, the statement mentions “another company’s game released in January 2024,” leaving little doubt regarding which game it intends to investigate.

The statement also mentions how The Pokemon Company never granted any permission to use Pokemon assets in any other game. Prior to this statement, Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe stated that the Palworld team made sure to avoid any copyright infringement with Pokemon or other popular gaming franchises, while The Pokemon Company’s former chief legal officer has recently described Palworld as “ripoff nonsense.”

We have received many inquiries regarding another company’s game released in January 2024. We have not granted any permission for the use of Pokémon intellectual property or assets in that game. We intend to investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to the Pokémon. We will continue to cherish and nurture each and every Pokémon and its world, and work to bring the world together through Pokémon in the future.

Players found many similarities between Palworld and Pokemon, besides the fact that both games feature a large collection of monsters to capture and battle. A fan of both games teased a Pokemon mod in Palworld featuring Ash Ketchum and Pikachu, before Nintendo responded to their trailer with a DMCA takedown notice. This doesn’t prevent fans from comparing the two games, with some wondering why Nintendo never created a more mature version of Pokemon in an open-world survival game with base-building mechanics and a multiplayer system.

Following the massive success of Palworld, Pocketpair teased its roadmap for the game. Future Palworld updates will bring new features, such as PvP between players and their Pals, raid bosses, as well as new islands to explore and Pals to capture. Before releasing these new features, Pocketpair stated it would prioritize fixing the numerous issues hindering Palworld to improve the overall player experience.

Palworld

Pocket Pair’s Palworld is a creature-collection game set in an open-world. Entering early access on January 19, 2024, the project blends survival, building, farming, monster breeding, and shooter elements.

Released

January 19, 2024

Developer(s)

Pocket Pair, Inc.

Publisher(s)

Pocket Pair, Inc.

ESRB

T For Teen Due To Violence