The Pokémon Company politely asks people to stop the Palworld spam
The Pokémon Company has released a public statement regarding Palworld, the survival crafting game with creature collection mechanics that’s been selling faster than hot cake and already might have become the biggest title to be released in 2024. Some people have alleged that Palworld stole official Pokémon assets or otherwise violated the franchise’s IP rights – and it looks like they've been spamming The Pokémon Company about it, forcing a reaction.
“We have received many inquiries regarding another company’s game released in January 2024,” the statement said. “We have not granted any permission for the use of Pokémon intellectual property or assets in that game. We intend to investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to the Pokémon.”
Detective Pikachu is on the case, so please relax.
Warner Bros Pictures
Let me translate this for you: ‘We know about Palworld. The entire world knows about Palworld. If we already thought we had any legal legs to stand on, this game would have never been released in the first place, so we’re looking into it. We’ll continue to take down anything that actually violates copyright, like mods, in the meantime. Please stop sending us messages about it. Thank you.’
There is more to the statement as well, as it concluded with: “We will continue to cherish and nurture each and every Pokémon and its world, and work to bring the world together through Pokémon in the future.” Okay.
Despite all those allegations being thrown around, no one has actually been able to prove that Palworld developer Pocketpair has stolen any assets or violated anyone’s IP rights – and if The Pokémon Company were to sue the studio over it, it would need more than opinions from armchair analysts on social media.
Everyone knows that The Pokémon Company is incredibly protective of its IP. If The Pokémon Company had proof that Pocketpair violated its IP rights, Palworld would never have seen the light of day – just like so many mod projects or fan games that came before it. Case in point: That Palworld Pokémon mod that was teased on social media a couple of days ago is already dead in the water after a letter from the company’s lawyers to the modder.
Does that mean Palworld is 100% safe? No. We don’t know what a thorough investigation might yield that could give The Pokémon Company some legal levers – and you can bet that if anything of the sort is found, Pocketpair is probably going to become another example of someone flying too close to the sun. In the meantime, everyone should just calm down and chill.
