Palworld Developer Surprise Launches Another Game on Nintendo Switch Despite Lawsuit

Summary

• Pocketpair released OverDungeon on the Nintendo eShop in a surprise move.
• OverDungeon is a genre-blending action card game with tower defense mechanics.
• Despite an ongoing lawsuit, Pocketpair celebrated OverDungeon's launch with a 50% off sale.

In an unexpected move, Palworld developer Pocketpair has launched its 2019 title, OverDungeon, on the Nintendo eShop. This comes amidst ongoing legal battles with Nintendo and The Pokemon Company over allegations of patent infringement related to Pocketpair's popular monster-taming game, Palworld.

The lawsuit against Pocketpair was filed in September 2024 by Nintendo and The Pokemon Company, who claim that Palworld's Pal Spheres infringe on their creature-capturing system patents. Despite the controversy, Pocketpair released a significant update for Palworld in December, which led to a spike in concurrent Steam players. Now, the company has made another bold move by launching OverDungeon on the Nintendo eShop.

On January 9, Pocketpair released OverDungeon for Nintendo Switch consoles. Originally launched only on Steam in 2019, OverDungeon combines action card gameplay with tower defense and roguelike elements, as described on the Nintendo eShop. This marks Pocketpair's first game on the Switch, and the launch came without prior announcement. To celebrate the debut, OverDungeon is available at a 50% discount until January 24. While Palworld is available on PS5 and Xbox, the decision to release OverDungeon exclusively on the Nintendo eShop has sparked speculation among fans, with some suggesting it might be a strategic response to the ongoing lawsuit.

Pocketpair Launches Its First Nintendo Switch Game Amid Lawsuit

While Palworld remains Pocketpair's most renowned game, it's not the first to draw comparisons to Nintendo titles. In 2020, Pocketpair released Craftopia, an RPG that bore similarities to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Craftopia continues to receive updates on Steam, with the latest in December. Meanwhile, Pocketpair has continued to promote Palworld aggressively, even after the lawsuit, and has announced a collaboration with Terraria. The first phase of this crossover introduced a new Pal named Meowmeow, with more Terraria-related content planned for 2025.

Since the lawsuit became public, little additional information has been shared by the involved parties. Some patent experts predict that the legal battle could extend for years if no settlement is reached. Looking forward, Pocketpair has hinted at further plans for Palworld in 2025, including potential ports for Mac and mobile devices.