Pocketpair, developer of the big hit sued Pocketpair in September 2024 for patent infringement. As more information about the case was revealed, it was determined that Nintendo was seeking five million yen for claims on patents that included features like directional attacks and creature riding mechanics.

As stated by Pocketpair, with the implementation of Patch v0.5.5, gliding will be exclusive to gliders, and players will no longer glide using their Pals (via VGC). Pals in the player's team will still provide ive buffs to gliding, but players will now need to have a glider in their inventory to glide.

Pocketpair also made a statement acknowledging the disappointing news and that this change was made to keep the game's development moving, with the statement reading: "...this will be disappointing for many, just as it is for us, but we hope our fans understand that these changes are necessary in order to prevent further disruptions..."

The Changes Will Prevent "Further Disruptions" To Palworld

The Lawsuit Has Forced The Game To Change A Lot

Late last year, Palworld saw major changes to Pal Spheres, which were used to capture and summon Pals, similar to the way Poké Balls work in Pokémon. It has now been confirmed that the change was made due to the legal case against Pocketpair. The gliding rework is another big change, and Pocketpair seems to be trying to get ahead of some of the patent claims from Nintendo rather than directly fighting them in order to please fans and continue the development of the game without being interrupted by court proceedings.

In Pocketpair's statement, the company acknowledged that if it had not made the changes to the gameplay systems that it did, the game would have taken a bigger hit, stating: "Unfortunately, as the alternative would have led to an even greater deterioration of the gameplay experience for players, it was determined that this change was necessary." Pocketpair has also stated that the studio is excited to continue development and issued an apology for these changes.

Our Take: Pocketpair Is Making The Right Call

But Nintendo's Grip Might Be Getting Too Strong

Overall, given the circumstances, it seems Pocketpair is making the right decision, both for fans and from a financial point of view. Having to compromise and change aspects of a game that ionate developers invested their work in must be gut-wrenching. Under the circumstances, however, Pocketpair is making the necessary adjustments to keep Palworld alive and survive the legal claims from Nintendo and The Pokémon Company.

Nintendo has a notoriously litigious history against consumers, retailers, and even content creators, and the company has attempted many copyright claims and other lawsuits. Nintendo is also suing an accessory maker that accidentally leaked the Nintendo Switch 2 before its reveal. Given Nintendo's pull and typical legal efficacy, more changes are probably going to have to be made to Palworld, but it seems like Pocketpair is continuing to prioritize the player experience.

Source: Pocketpair, VGC