Palworld’s development team has officially acknowledged that recent gameplay changes are directly linked to the legal case they face from Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. Though specifics about the lawsuit remain under wraps, developers stress its growing influence on how the game evolves during its early access phase.

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One major change affected Pal summoning. Before the update on November 30, 2024 (version 0.3.11), players would summon their Pals by throwing a Pal Sphere. Now, Pals simply appear next to the player, avoiding visual similarities to Poké Balls and minimizing legal risk.

Despite their discontent, the team at Pocketpair stated that making such compromises was unavoidable. They hinted at similar changes coming with update 0.5.5, particularly involving the gliding system. Instead of using Pals to glide, players will need to rely on inventory-based gliders. However, Pals will still contribute via passive abilities.

The team issued an apology to players affected by these adjustments but reassured the community that continued content updates and improvements are on the way, reaffirming their commitment to the game’s future despite legal complications.

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