Last year, a legal dispute erupted when Nintendo filed a lawsuit in a Japanese court against Pocketpair, the creators of the popular game Palworld. The initial focus of the infringement claims centered on minor elements within Palworld that bore similarities to the beloved Pokémon series. However, the situation took a significant turn recently when Nintendo secured a potentially revolutionary patent. This new patent reportedly covers the fundamental gameplay mechanic of summoning a character and engaging it in combat within a video game setting. This development has prompted a prominent figure from the development team behind Baldur’s Gate 3 to share his perspective on such patents and their underlying intentions.
Michael “Cromwelp” Douse, the publishing director for Larian Studios, developers of the critically acclaimed Baldur’s Gate 3, expressed his views in a now-deleted social media post. He stated unequivocally that, “These types of patents are too often used in bad faith.”
While Douse did not elaborate further on his comments in the vanished thread, Nintendo has consistently made its dissatisfaction with Palworld known. The initial lawsuit sought 5 million yen (approximately $33,000 USD) for three patents allegedly infringed upon by Palworld. Industry analyst Serkan Toto, CEO of Kantan Games, had previously suggested that Nintendo’s lawsuit was strategically designed to compel Pocketpair into a substantial settlement.
In response to the legal pressures, Pocketpair has already implemented several changes to Palworld, including the removal of items resembling classic Poké Balls, known as Pal Spheres. Nevertheless, Nintendo’s latest patent could significantly complicate matters for any future games attempting to emulate the Pokémon formula.
It’s worth noting that not all video game patents are indefinite. Some eventually expire, as seen with Warner Bros. Games’ patent for the innovative Nemesis system, originally introduced by Monolith in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. Despite its popularity among players, Warner Bros. will retain ownership of this patent until at least 2036. Monolith, unfortunately, ceased operations earlier this year following WB Games’ decision to cancel their anticipated Wonder Woman game.
An accompanying image gallery showcases ‘How To Get Zoe As A Palworld Companion,’ featuring various in-game screenshots illustrating key locations and character appearances related to acquiring Zoe.