Palworld Mods Restore Mechanics Removed Due to Nintendo, Pokémon Lawsuit

Palworld modders are stepping up to restore gameplay mechanics that were removed by developer Pocketpair due to a patent lawsuit from Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. Last week, Pocketpair acknowledged that recent updates to the game were influenced by the ongoing legal battle.

Palworld, launched early in 2024 on Steam for $30 and included in Game Pass for Xbox and PC, shattered sales and concurrent player records. The game's massive success overwhelmed Pocketpair, with CEO Takuro Mizobe admitting the studio struggled to manage the influx of profits. Capitalizing on this success, Pocketpair quickly secured a deal with Sony to establish Palworld Entertainment, a new venture aimed at expanding the game's intellectual property. The game was subsequently released on PS5.

Following Palworld's explosive debut, comparisons to Pokémon led to accusations of design plagiarism. Instead of pursuing a copyright infringement lawsuit, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company opted for a patent lawsuit, seeking 5 million yen (about $32,846) each, plus late payment damages and an injunction to halt Palworld's release.

In November, Pocketpair confirmed it was being sued over three Japan-based patents related to capturing Pokémon in a virtual field. Palworld initially featured a similar mechanic with the Pal Sphere, akin to the one in the 2022 Nintendo Switch exclusive Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

Six months later, Pocketpair released an update admitting that changes made to the game, including Patch v0.3.11 in November 2024, were due to legal pressures. This patch replaced the ability to summon Pals by throwing Pal Spheres with a static summon next to the player, along with other gameplay alterations.

Pocketpair stated that without these modifications, the gameplay experience would have suffered even more. The subsequent Patch v0.5.5 further adjusted mechanics, changing gliding from using Pals to requiring a glider in the player's inventory, though Pals still offer passive gliding buffs.

Describing these adjustments as "compromises," Pocketpair noted they were necessary to avoid an injunction that could stop Palworld's development and sales.

Just a week after Patch v0.5.5, modders restored the gliding mechanic with Primarinabee’s Glider Restoration mod, available on Nexus Mods. The mod's description humorously denies the existence of Patch 0.5.5 and aims to reverse the changes without hindering future updates. Released on May 10, it has already been downloaded hundreds of times.

Another mod attempts to restore the throw-to-release mechanic for Pals, but it lacks the original ball-throwing animation, instead summoning the Pal at the player's gaze.

The longevity of the Glider Restoration mod remains uncertain amidst the ongoing lawsuit.

At the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in March, IGN interviewed John “Bucky” Buckley, communications director and publishing manager for Pocketpair. Following his talk, 'Community Management Summit: A Palworld Roller Coaster: Surviving the Drop,' Buckley discussed various challenges faced by Palworld, including debunked accusations of using generative AI and stealing Pokémon models. He also touched on the unexpected nature of Nintendo's patent infringement lawsuit.