The Pokémon Company has finally made an official statement regarding Palworld, a game that released just a few days ago but has already been embroiled in drama and controversy over allegations of copyright infringement.
In the statement, the Pokémon Company explained that it intends “to investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to the Pokémon.”
The Pokémon Company did not explicitly name Palword in its official statement, but to everyone, it’s clear who the statement is directed towards. Palworld, the survival adventure game, has been enjoying extreme success recently. Selling almost 8 million copies in six days and being a day one release on Game Pass, Palworld seems to be a smashing success already for 2024.
However, Palworld has seen some intense heat from people online. Many have accused the game of being a ripoff of Pokémon. Others have accused the developers at Pocketpair of using AI-generated assets and some accusations went as far as to claim that Palworld uses the same exact meshes as Pokémon for its asset bases.
The Pokémon Company wrote in its official statement the following:
“We have received many inquiries regarding another company’s game released in January 2024. We have not granted any permission for the use of Pokémon intellectual property or assets in that game. We intend to investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to Pokémon. We will continue to cherish and nurture each and every Pokémon and its world, and work to bring the world together through Pokémon in the future.”
Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe explained that the team cleared legal reviewing and had not faced any action over infringement. Additionally, the Pocketpair team has shared that it has received death threats since the game first went live on January 19.
Pocketpair has insisted its game is more like Ark Survival Evolved and Valheim than Pokémon, but it has still been referred to as “Pokémon with guns” by many online. Still, that is not indicative of any infringement taking place.
Many believe that The Pokémon Company released a statement to address the situation but that if there had been any evidence of copyright infringement, a lawsuit would have been provided a long time ago. However this situation pans out, we have yet to see.
Zainah Yousef
Zainah Yousef is the author of The Fallen Age Saga and specializes in gaming, social media advice, and reviews. She's been writing all her life and she probably won't stop anytime soon.
