Pokémon Company to investigate potential IP rights infringement amid Palworld debate
Company did not name Pocket Pair's game directly but says it has "received many inquiries" regarding a January release
The Pokémon Company has issued a statement saying it would look into infringement of its intellectual property after having received inquiries regarding "another company's game released in January 2024."
While the games firm didn't name any title, this statement comes in the middle of a controversy surrounding Pocket Pair's Palworld and its alleged similarities with Pokémon.
"We have not granted any permission for the use of Pokémon intellectual property or assets in that game," the statement read. "We intend to investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to the Pokémon."
Prior to Palworld's release, Pocket Pair CEO Takuro Mizobe addressed concerns regarding the similarities of the survival game and Pokémon.
"We make our games very seriously, and we have absolutely no intention of infringing upon the intellectual property of other companies," Mizobe told Automaton.
While Palworld doesn't currently support mods, some Pokémon-centric creations have made the rounds on social media resulting in Nintendo issuing takedown notices, as reported by The Verge.
Modding site Nexus Mods has also confirmed that it won't host Pokémon mods for Palworld, as it would "almost certainly [...] put us at risk of legal action," it said.
Three days after its release, Palworld surpassed four million units with a peak concurrent Steam player count of 1.29 million over its launch weekend. It then went on to sell six million copies in four days, and has now surpassed eight million copies in six days.
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