Palworld Fans Slam Nintendo: Recent Game-Changing Patch Tied to Nintendo Lawsuit

The recent Nintendo lawsuit against the Palworld developer, PocketPair, has been raging for some time. Although much has been away from the public eye, the recent Palworld update that changed a significant part of the game proves the lawsuit is anything but calming down.

Although initial reports and some ongoing misconceptions think the Pals are the issue, with many pointing out how similar the 3D models of the Pals were to Nintendo’s own Pokémon, the lawsuit has actually been aimed at mechanics and gameplay, as Pokémon inspire Palworld in more ways than just character design.

As revealed in a recent tweet, an earlier November patch aimed to address some of Nintendo’s core allegations. To address the Pals directly coming out of the Pal Spheres that contain them, Palworld changed it so that Pals spawn at your feet to eliminate the similarities to Pokémon and Poké balls.

The most recent patch addresses yet another potential issue for the lawsuit. You will no longer be able to glide on Pals through the air across the open world, as according to Pocketpair, that is also a concern in the ongoing litigation.

Although you’ll still be able to glide throughout the air in the game, you’ll no longer be able to use a Pal to do so. Instead, you’ll be gliding through the air on a glider, akin to what’s in games like Breath Of The Wild.

Pocketpair’s tweet states that “these changes are necessary in order to prevent further disruptions to the development of Palworld.” The phrasing even suggests that Nintendo’s legal team is pushing Pocketpair to make these changes.

How can Nintendo assert that gliding through the world with a Pal encroaches on their property? It seems as though many fans agree that this claim is insane, with the most common reply to the announcement being the typical “f* Nintendo”.

By extension, many fans say they’ll no longer purchase a Nintendo Switch 2 after Nintendo’s recent actions degraded the experience of one of their favorite games. One tweet has stated:

The most common reaction seems to be flat-out confusion — people questioning “Gliding with your pal is patented?” or “How is Pokémon/Nintendo even allowed to do this?”

Honestly, this confusion makes the most sense. From films like Avatar (ironically, both the James Cameron film and The Last Airbender) to games like Panzer Dragoon, Hogwarts Legacy, and Horizon Forbidden West, riding on a massive beast is anything but uncommon throughout media.

So the question has turned into, what does it mean for Palworld to infringe on Nintendo’s content?

Why Is Nintendo Attacking Palworld’s Gameplay?

A few big pieces of the debate need to be brought up. For one, this case is being handled in Japan which, compared to America, means that litigation and infringement cases are carried out a bit differently.

This focus on Japanese markets can be seen in Pocketpair’s previous hesitation to release the game on PS5 in the country, which indicates that releasing the game on the platform there would probably fuel Nintendo’s previously established accusations in Japan.

Second, it should be noted that because Nintendo is focusing on gameplay, not previously assumed aspects like 3D models, all of these tactics should be expected. Nintendo is purposefully attacking gameplay elements like the Pals releasing out of balls, and the ability to ride around on these Pals.

Simply put, Nintendo’s legal team is attacking everything surrounding Palworld’s gameplay. This is exactly what Pocketpair is referencing when they mention how “we have had to make certain compromises in order to avoid disruptions to the development and distribution of Palworld.”

But this begins to get murky because, like Warner Bros. patenting the nemesis system, taking control of gameplay systems is inherently vague and detrimental to the industry’s growth. What most fans are actually upset about is Nintendo essentially saying they have ownership of a certain type of gameplay.

However, from Digimon to other monster collecting games, some of which were founded before Nintendo even made Pokémon, it’s not as though Pokémon is the first and only to do it.

Sadly, we’ll likely see a few more compromises between Nintendo and companies like Pocketpair in the future, and it’ll likely take a lot more time to see who comes on top in this recent court case.