Nintendo Sues ‘Pokémon with Weapons’ Maker for Patent Infringement Tokyo: Japan’s Nintendo said on Thursday that it has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against the developer of a video game jokingly called “Pokémon with Guns”. Nintendo and The Pokemon Company are suing Pocketpair, the Japanese studio behind the game “Palworld,” which became a viral hit when its prototype was released in January. “Palworld” – which sold more than five million copies in just three days – features player avatars and monsters that look similar to creatures from Nintendo’s wildly popular “Pokémon” franchise. Nintendo said in a statement that the companies “filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the Tokyo District Court against Pocketpair” on Wednesday. “This action seeks an injunction against infringement and damages on the basis that Palworld … infringes numerous patent rights,” it said. The statement did not specify how much compensation was sought. Nintendo added that it will “take the necessary action against any infringement of its intellectual property rights” to protect what it has “worked hard on over the years”. “Palworld” is still in development, but the “early access version” costs $29.99 for US customers on the Steam online platform. “Fight, farm, build and work alongside mysterious creatures called ‘Pals’ in this brand new open world multiplayer, survival and crafting game!” its description states. Initial reviews of the game were positive, although many pointed out the eerie resemblance of the “buddies” to Pokémon characters, with critics and users dubbing it “Pokémon with weapons”. “Most people, including me, thought this game was going to be a meme,” said game developer Pirate Software’s account in one review left on Steam. “It’s actually insanely detailed, extremely well optimized, and impressive as hell.” Pocketpair said in a statement on Thursday that it would “initiate appropriate legal proceedings and investigations into claims of patent infringement”. “It’s really unfortunate that this lawsuit will force us to spend a significant amount of time on matters unrelated to game development,” he added. Pokemon has been a worldwide hit since its launch in 1996 as a role-playing game for the Nintendo Game Boy console. The franchise, whose tagline is “Gotta Catch ‘Em All,” also includes movies and a wildly popular animated TV show.
