Palworld has launched on PS5 in Japan even as its developer battles a lawsuit with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company in the country. Palworld’s long-awaited PS5 release shadow-dropped on September 24 after an announcement during Sony’s State of Play broadcast , but while gamers in 68 countries worldwide were downloading the survival and crafting game dubbed 'Pokémon with guns' on PlayStation, Japanese gamers had to wait . The Japanese PS5 release comes hot on the heels of Nintendo and The Pokémon Company’s shock joint lawsuit against Pocketpair for alleged patent infringement, which was filed in Japan.
Pocketpair has insisted it had no idea which patents it’s accused of infringing, but experts have pointed to a “killer patent” that revolves around the mechanic of catching Pokémon itself . Last week, one patent expert said the lawsuit shows “just how seriously Nintendo views the threat of Palworld.” After Palworld’s huge launch earlier this year on PC and Xbox, comparisons were made between Palworld’s Pals and Pokémon, with some accusing Pocketpair of "ripping off" Pokémon designs.
But rather than file a copyright infringement lawsuit, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have gone down the patent route. It is worth noting that Palworld does include a mechanic that involves throwing a ball-like object (called a Pal Sphere) at monsters out in a field to capture them, similar to the mechanic seen in the 2022 Nintendo Switch exclusive Pokémon Legend.