Palworld had to remove game features because of Nintendo lawsuit

The ongoing lawsuit between Nintendo and Palworld developer Pocketpair has forced the studio to make some changes to its Pokemon-like game. In a new blog post, Pocketpair explained that a patch in November removed certain gameplay features, and that an upcoming update will cull even more. We have had to make certain compromises in order to avoid disruptions to the development and distribution of Palworld," the studio says.

This started with a patch on November 30th, which most notably removed the ability to summon creatures by throwing a Pal Sphere," which is reminiscent of summoning pokemon with a Poke Ball. The studio adds that other changes were made, without specifying what they were.

As many have speculated, these changes were indeed a result of the ongoing litigation."

As many have speculated, these changes were indeed a result of the ongoing litigation," Pocketpair explains. Everyone here at Pocketpair was disappointed that this adjustment had to be made, and we fully understand that many players feel the same frustration. 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."

More changes are coming, as well. Pocketpair says that the upcoming patch v0.5.5 will change how gliding works, as gliding will be performed using a glider rather than with Pals."

Nintendo first filed its patent infringement lawsuit in September of last year, and Pocketpair initially said that we are unaware of the specific patents we are accused of infringing upon, and we have not been notified of such details." However, soon after the exact patents at the heart of the lawsuit were revealed, and they covered elements like riding characters and throwing balls in a field.

Despite the forced changes, Pocketpair says that we remain committed to developing Palworld and delivering exciting new content to our fans." Nintendo, meanwhile, is set to release the next major Pokemon game with Pokemon Legends: Z-A later this year.