Palworld Modders Restore Mechanics Removed Due to Nintendo and Pokémon Patent Lawsuit

Palworld modders are stepping up to bring back gameplay mechanics that developer Pocketpair had to remove due to legal pressures from Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. Last week, Pocketpair acknowledged that recent updates to the game were influenced by the ongoing lawsuit with these companies.

Palworld, which launched on Steam for $30 and was immediately available on Game Pass for Xbox and PC in early 2024, shattered sales records and achieved unprecedented concurrent player numbers. The overwhelming success led Pocketpair's CEO, Takuro Mizobe, to admit that the company was overwhelmed by the massive profits. In response to the game's success, Pocketpair quickly moved to expand its reach by signing a deal with Sony to establish Palworld Entertainment, a new venture aimed at growing the Palworld IP. The game later made its way to PS5.

Following Palworld's launch, it drew comparisons to Pokémon, with some accusing Pocketpair of copying Pokémon designs. 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 additional damages and an injunction to prevent Palworld's release.

In November, Pocketpair confirmed it was being sued over three Japanese patents related to capturing Pokémon in a virtual field. Palworld originally featured a mechanic where players could throw a Pal Sphere at monsters in a field to capture them, similar to the mechanic in the 2022 Nintendo Switch game, Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

Six months later, Pocketpair released an update admitting that recent changes were due to the legal threats. Patch v0.3.11, released in November 2024, removed the ability to summon Pals by throwing Pal Spheres, replacing it with a static summon next to the player, alongside other mechanic adjustments. Pocketpair stated that not making these changes would have led to an even worse gameplay experience for players.

Last week's Patch v0.5.5 further altered Palworld, changing gliding mechanics to require a glider in the player's inventory instead of using Pals, although Pals still provide passive gliding buffs. Pocketpair described these adjustments as "compromises" made to avoid an injunction that could halt Palworld's development and sales.

Just a week after this patch, modders restored the gliding mechanic with Primarinabee’s Glider Restoration mod, available on Nexus Mods. This mod effectively reverses the changes from Patch v0.5.5, allowing players to glide with Pals again, though a glider is still required in the inventory. The mod, released on May 10, has been downloaded hundreds of times.

Another mod attempts to restore the throw-to-release mechanic for Pals, but it doesn't perfectly replicate the original feature, as it lacks the ball-throwing animation and instead summons the Pal where the player is looking.

The availability of these mods raises questions about their longevity amidst the ongoing lawsuit.

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