The Pokémon Company reacts to the success of Palworld !
Palworld, the survival and creature capture game which is largely inspired by Pokémon, has been a hit since its release in early access on January 19, 2024. The game has already exceeded 8 million sales on Steam and Xbox, despite the criticism of its lack of finish and its originality. Faced with this phenomenon, the Pokémon Company finally published an official statement on its site, in which it states that it has not authorized the use of Pokémon intellectual property in Palworld, and that it intends to investigate and take appropriate measures to protect their rights.
The press release does not explicitly mention the name Palworld, but it is obvious that it is aimed at this game which takes up many elements of the Pokémon franchise, such as the design of the creatures, the capture system, or even the name of the Pals, which is reminiscent of Pokémon. The Pokémon Company states that it has not granted any permission for the use of Pokémon intellectual property or assets in this game, and that it intends to investigate and sanction any infringement of Pokémon-related rights. She adds that she will continue to cherish and bring to life each Pokémon and its world, and work to bring the world together around Pokémon in the future.
This press release comes after Nintendo, the historic partner of the Pokémon Company, acknowledged the existence of Palworld but refused to comment on individual cases. It also comes after Palworld developer Pocketpair claimed to have passed legal checks and not received any infringement lawsuits. Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe said in an interview with Automaton that he takes his games seriously, and has no intention of infringing on other companies' intellectual property. He also revealed that he had received death threats since the game's release.
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