Nintendo and Pokemon sue Palworld developer

KYOTO (Jiji Press) — Video game giant Nintendo Co. and Pokemon Co., a subsidiary of Nintendo, said Thursday that they have filed a patent infringement lawsuit against the maker of the adventure game “Palworld.”

Palworld, released by Tokyo-based video game developer Pocketpair Inc., has garnered controversy due to its similarities to the Pokemon-produced “Pocket Monster” game series.

In the lawsuit, filed Wednesday in the Tokyo District Court, Nintendo and Pokémon allege that Palworld infringes multiple patent rights and seeks damages and an injunction against the alleged infringement.

The two companies said in a statement: “Nintendo will continue to take appropriate measures against any infringement of its intellectual property rights, including the Nintendo brand itself.”

Palworld is a game where players can capture fictional creatures called “Pals” and explore a virtual world together. It was released in January and attracted more than 25 million users within a month.

In July, Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., under the umbrella of Sony Group Corp., announced that it would establish a licensing business for Palworld, both domestically and internationally.