Amid Nintendo’s Pokémon Lawsuit, Palworld Dev Pocketpair Signs Deal for Mobile Version
Palworld developer Pocketpair has signed a deal with PUBG company Krafton to develop a mobile version of the hit game.
Krafton, fresh from acquiring Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks from Microsoft, has now inked a licensing agreement with Pocketpair to expand the Palworld intellectual property to mobile devices, Gematsu reported.
Krafton’s subsidiary PUBG Studios will develop the mobile version of Palworld, which reimagines and adapts the core gameplay elements for mobile. No release window was mentioned.
PUBG Studios is the development arm behind the phenomenally successful battle royale as well as its equally successful mobile versions. Indeed, PUBG Mobile has had over one billion players since launching in March 2018.
The announcement of Palworld mobile comes hot on the heels of Nintendo and The Pokémon Company’s joint lawsuit against Pocketpair for alleged patent infringement, and the subsequent launch of Palworld on PlayStation 5 everywhere except Japan, where the lawsuit was filed.
Pocketpair has insisted it has 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 Legends: Arceus, and this may prove the key to the lawsuit.
Palworld launched on Steam priced $30 and straight into Game Pass on Xbox and PC earlier this year, breaking sales and concurrent player number records in the process. Pocketpair boss Takuro Mizobe has said Palworld’s launch was so big that the developer couldn’t handle the massive profits the game generated.
Still, Pocketpair acted swiftly to capitalize on Palworld’s breakout success, signing a deal with Sony to form a new business called Palworld Entertainment that’s tasked with expanding the IP.
While the Pokémon games are mostly at home on consoles, Nintendo has launched a number of spin-offs aimed at other devices, including mobile. Pokémon GO has seen enormous success since launching in 2016, generating billions of dollars in revenue. There’s also Pokémon Unite, a MOBA released for mobile and Nintendo Switch, and Pokémon Sleep, a sleep-tracking game that rewards the user with Pokémon depending on the quality of their sleep.
Indeed, a new Pokémon mobile game is right around the corner: Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, a mobile version of the Pokemon TCG, launches October 30, 2024.
Pocketpair has said it will begrudgingly investigate the patent infringement claims while continuing to update Palworld despite the lawsuit, and apologized to players left concerned about the future of the game.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
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