Pocketpair has rolled out more changes to Palworld in light of the ongoing litigation with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company.
After today‛s patch, players will need to equip a glider to glide, whereas before it was possible to use certain Pals for the action. The creatures will still provide passive buffs to gliding, albeit from inside the player‛s inventory.
“We understand that this will be disappointing for many, just as it is for us, but we hope our fans understand that these changes are necessary in order to prevent further disruptions to the development of Palworld,” Pocketpair said in a statement.
On November 30, 2024, the developer patched the ability to summon Pals by throwing Pal Spheres, changing it to a static summon next to the player instead. While Pocketpair didn‛t directly tie the update to the lawsuit at the time, it‛s now confirmed that was the reason.
“Everyone here at Pocketpair was disappointed that this adjustment had to be made, and we fully understand that many players feel the same frustration,” read the statement. “Unfortunately, as the alternative would have led to an even greater deterioration of the gameplay experience for players, it was determined that this change was necessary.”
Pocketpair apologizes to fans for ‛the discomfort and concern this ongoing litigation has caused‛
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The patent infringement claims started back on September 18, 2024. The next day, Pocketpair claimed it wasn’t notified of specifics, while stating plans to defend itself. Two months later, the developer shared more details on the allegedly infringed patents, which drew comparisons with Pokémon Legends: Arceus specifically.
The three patents, filed in Japan between May and July 2024, described mechanics like throwing a ball or “riding an object,” paired up with an image of a Pokémon picking up the player from mid-air. The latter is resonant with today‛s change to gliding in Palworld.
Pocketpair also added that Nintendo wants 10 million Yen ($69,048 in USD) in damages, split evenly between itself and The Pokémon Company. The companies are also pursuing late fees, as well as an injunction to block Palworld‛s release.
In late January of this year, Pocketpair established a dedicated publishing division, looking to provide developers with funding opportunities, development assistance, and publishing support “without overstepping.”
During a GDC 2025 talk in March, Palworld community manager John Buckley spoke about the hardships of the game becoming so popular in a short time, which has been 32 million players. While Buckley couldn’t discuss the lawsuit in detail, instead describing as solely as “not fun,” he mentioned the team received violent messages and death threats. The bulk of the harassment targeted people‛s claims that Pocketpair had used generative AI technology and stolen character models from Pokémon developer Game Freak.
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