Palworld recently released on Steam and non-Nintendo consoles, and while the gameplay doesn’t necessarily resemble Pokémon, the designs objectively do.

The monsters in the game share many similarities with famous Pokémon, with a few minor tweaks here or there, and the addition of guns. Whether or not the adjustments are enough to skirt any copyright claims, or if they are a bit too close for comfort, remains to be seen.

This isn’t new when it comes to Pokémon, as plenty of games take heavy inspiration, or sometimes even completely plagiarise Pokémon, but they quickly get taken down or fade into obscurity, especially when it comes to mobile app stores.

The difference here is the immense popularity of Palworld, and the ambitious scope of the project, which in just under one week has sold 8 million copies. With that many sales, Palworld has beaten first week sales of Pokémon Legends Arceus, though still trails behind the behemoth that is Scarlet and Violet.

With this much attention and players, Palworld has now come under scrutiny from The Pokémon Company, who have this to say:

Inquiries Regarding Other Companies’ Games

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.

The Pokémon Company

Source

Because Palworld isn’t on the Switch we haven’t given it any coverage here on the frontpage, but it has got plenty of traction on our forum, so if you’re interested in finding out more about Palworld, follow the discussion here.