The Pokemon Company confirm they’re “investigating” Palworld copyright allegations

Palworld has been no stranger to copyright questions since its release, especially because the Pals you can capture share visual similarities with Pokemon. The Pokemon Company has released a statement on the subject. 

Palworld was released in January 2024 to immediate success, but it caused some gamers to raise questions about how similar it is to Pokemon. Some people have even taken to social media to point out the similarities between Pokemon and Pals, while others have called the game “Pokemon with guns.”

Palworld devs have even received “slanderous comments” from some who have noticed the alleged similarities between the two games. A few posts went viral where it was pointed out how similar many of the Pals were to already existing Pokemon, sparking plenty of anger.

Frantically working through all my DMs and emails!
I promise! 😓

…However, you'll excuse me if I skip over the death threats, threats to the company and massively outlandish claims…

If you're capable of writing like an actual human being though, I'll reply asap! 🙇‍♀️

— Bucky | Palworld ✈️ Summer Game Fest (@Bucky_cm) January 21, 2024

Pocket Pair, the developers of Palworld, have released statements in response to the allegations of copyright infringement. “We take our games very seriously, and we have absolutely no intention of infringing upon the intellectual property of other companies,” CEO of Pocket Pair, Takuro Mizobe, said.

The Pokemon Company finally responded to the viral allegations, and while Palworld specifically is not mentioned, they do say that they are investigating the allegations.

The statement released by The Pokemon Company reads, “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.” 

"Palworld is a creatively bankrupt asset flip with plagiarism" and "Gamefreak needs to improve the quality of Pokémon" are both sentences that can and should coexist.

— Quilo🌨️🦊 (@QuiloWisp) January 21, 2024

“We intend to investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to the Pokemon.”

The Pokemon Company does not specifically mention Palworld in the statement, but it is clear that the survival game is what they’re referencing when looking at the allegations that have arisen since its launch.

Nintendo or The Pokemon Company have not officially taken any legal action against Palworld, but we will keep you updated as this story develops. 

If you want to know more about Palworld, read our guides on the weaknesses and strengths of each Pal and how you can sell Pals on the Black Market.