Nintendo and its partner The Pokémon Company have filed a lawsuit against the creator of the hit adventure game Palworld for alleged copyright infringement.
Palworld quickly earned the nickname “Pokémon with guns” when its first trailer was released in 2021.
A few days after the game’s release in January this year, The Pokémon Company said it would investigate the plagiarism claims.
Palworld’s developer, Pocketpair Inc, admitted the offense in a statement on Thursday and apologized to fans for “any concern or inconvenience” it caused.
The manager of Pocketpair previously said that the game has passed the official checks.
Palworld “infringes many copyrights”, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company said in statements posted on their websites.
“This lawsuit seeks an injunctive relief and compensatory damages”.
Palworld has become a hitwith over 25 million players within a month of its release.
Like the popular Pokémon video game franchise, it also focuses on collecting strange creatures with different powers.
Pocketpair’s website describes the game as seamlessly integrating “warfare, monster capture, training, and base building.”
Players, known as “pal-tamers”, travel around a large map fighting human enemies and creatures known as “pals” that can be shot and recruited.
Monsters can fight alongside the player in battles, or work in a certain area, creating materials and items to be used in the field.
In January, The Pokémon Company said it planned to investigate allegations that Palworld had copied its gamesafter fans pointed out the similarities.
The Pokémon Company said at the time that it would take “appropriate action” if it found that its copyright had been infringed.
Pocketpair said its answer to the case on Thursday will begin to take action and investigate The Pokémon Company’s claims.
But it added that it was “not aware” of any patents it was accused of infringing.
“We have not been informed of such details,” it said.
It added that it was “really unfortunate” that it would need to allocate time and resources to litigation, rather than game development – highlighting its status as a small, indie developer.
“However, we will do our best for our fans, and ensure that indie game developers are not blocked or discouraged from pursuing their creative ideas,” the statement said.
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