Nintendo, along with Pokémon Company, has escalated its efforts to oppose Palworld and its creators from Pocket Pair. A new patent recently granted could be crucial in this ongoing legal battle.

On December 31, 2024, Nintendo was awarded patent. The patent details a "first mode" and "second mode," with the first involving the use of a "catch item" to acquire a "field character," and the second involving the release of a "battle character" to fight the "field character."

The developers of Palworld, anticipating this move, preemptively altered the mechanics of their in-game capture spheres to mitigate potential legal ramifications.

On February 11, Nintendo received another patent, number 12,220,638. This version made important revisions: the term "field character" was replaced with "virtual character," and "catching items" was changed to "obtaining items." Additionally, a "success probability" indicator was introduced, showing the likelihood of successfully acquiring a virtual character. All references to the original first and second modes were removed.

The updated patent language leaves little room for interpretation, and is likely to create substantial obstacles for Palworld’s development team. 

Main image: steamcommunity.com

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