Palworld developer Pocketpair simply launched a recreation on Nintendo Switch regardless of The Pokémon Company and Nintendo itself suing it for patent infringement.
As reported by Automaton, the real-time roguelike deck builder Overdungeon, which launched 5 years earlier than Palworld in 2019, was surprise-launched on Switch right this moment, January 9, 2025. Overdungeon was beforehand solely obtainable on Steam.
The launch, particularly as it is not come to PlayStation or Xbox, feels uncommon given The Pokémon Company and Nintendo itself are suing Pocketpair over the wildly fashionable Palworld.
This open-world, multiplayer survival recreation was dubbed “Pokémon with weapons” by followers and gained a staggering 25 million gamers in a single month. Many drew additional comparisons between it and Pokémon, claiming varied Pal designs have been virtually direct copies of official pocket monsters.
The Pokémon Company stated in January 2024 that it supposed “to research and take acceptable measures to handle any acts that infringe on mental property rights” however went quiet for months after. Lastly, nonetheless, in September 2024, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company introduced it was suing Pocketpair.
The developer did not seem significantly deterred by the lawsuit, initially saying “we’re unaware of the precise patents we’re accused of infringing upon” earlier than going on to launch Palworld on completely different platforms afterwords.
It later revealed the lawsuit was directed at patents that involce a catching mechanic: Pokémon are famously captured with Pokéballs, and Palworld are caught with a spherical object referred to as a Pal Sphere. It is this Nintendo and The Pokémon Company is looking for “an injunction in opposition to infringement and compensation for damages” over.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll discuss The Witcher all day.