The Pokémon-like game "Palworld" with over 32 million global players has drawn worldwide attention since being sued by Nintendo last September. The official team claimed the lawsuit would not affect game operations and published new update content in November. However, recent game updates suggest a close connection to the Nintendo lawsuit.
「Glider」「Throwing Pulse Ball」Related Changes
According to today's (8th) update explanation on X, to prepare for potential future lawsuits, the game developers had to modify some existing mechanisms and game presentations, while repeatedly emphasizing that they believe these accusations are unfounded and Palworld does not infringe on any plaintiff's registered patents.
In the latest v0.5.5 update, using a "Pal" as a glider will be canceled, replaced by requiring a glider wing accessory; additionally, the official explained that in the v0.3.11 update in November 2024, they had already canceled summoning Pals through "Throwing Pulse Ball" and changed it to directly summoning Pals next to the player.
These modifications are generally considered similar to Nintendo's Pokémon Company's "Pokémon Legends: Arceus".
As a precautionary measure, we have made some regulatory changes to more clearly demonstrate that Palworld does not infringe on patents, ensuring we can continue developing and distributing Palworld under any litigation circumstances.
This change is also a painful decision for us, but we have decided that from a more explicit perspective of "Palworld" not infringing patents, this is a necessary measure to continue development and distribution.
We sincerely apologize to our fans for any anxiety or inconvenience caused. We will continue to make our utmost efforts to develop "Pal World" and provide new content to offer a more enjoyable experience for everyone. Thank you for your continued support.
Palworld Does Not Abandon Revision and Development
Although Palworld is accused of copying Pokémon, Zelda, and Minecraft, it has indeed captured players' hearts through innovative game mechanics, such as battling, building, and nurturing by exploiting and enslaving cute creatures - things traditional Pokémon cannot do. The game announced in February that player numbers had exceeded 32 million, which is an impressive performance even for Nintendo's original Pokémon franchise.
In December, they released a major update expanding the game map to over six times its original size. After the Lunar New Year, they introduced new elements like Treasure Chests, showing that despite ongoing lawsuits, Palworld's official team remains committed to game updates and stable operations.
Online Player Numbers Show Backflow, Considering Blockchain?
In terms of online numbers, after initially breaking records with over 2 million players, a small backflow occurred during the December update, with online numbers reaching around 140,000. Currently, peak player numbers are around 25,000, but this demonstrates that with sincere updates and game improvements, the massive player base could potentially return.
Pocketpair's CEO Takaro Kobe, who was previously the founder of Japanese cryptocurrency exchange HT Coincheck and a Bitcoin OG, self-funded the game with 10 billion yen, indicating that a significant portion of the game's funding came from cryptocurrency.
Therefore, the team has been evaluating the possibility of adding blockchain elements since the development stage. According to a Japanese industry insider who spoke to Block Tempo late last year, Pocketpair's operational strategy for Palworld is to first maintain basic game operations and ensure a minimum online player growth, potentially considering marketplace or blockchain feature updates when the time is right.
