Palworld Modders Bring Back Features Removed by Nintendo and Pokémon Patent Dispute

Palworld modders are taking proactive steps to reinstate mechanics that developer Pocketpair was compelled to remove due to a patent lawsuit from Nintendo and The Pokémon Company.

Last week, Pocketpair disclosed that recent updates to the game were necessitated by the ongoing legal battle with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company.

Palworld debuted on Steam for $30 and was simultaneously released on Xbox and PC via Game Pass in early 2024, shattering sales records and achieving unprecedented concurrent player numbers. Pocketpair's CEO, Takuro Mizobe, revealed that the game's launch was so successful that the studio struggled to manage the immense profits it generated. In response to Palworld's explosive popularity, Pocketpair quickly moved to expand its reach, inking a deal with Sony to establish Palworld Entertainment, a new venture focused on broadening the IP. The game was subsequently launched on the PS5.

After Palworld's monumental launch, similarities were noted between Palworld's Pals and Pokémon, prompting allegations of design plagiarism. Instead of pursuing a copyright infringement lawsuit, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company opted for a patent dispute, seeking 5 million yen (approximately $32,846) each, plus damages for late payments, and an injunction to prevent Palworld's release.

In November, Pocketpair acknowledged the three Japan-based patents at the heart of the lawsuit, which pertain to capturing Pokémon in a virtual environment. Palworld originally featured a mechanic similar to that in the 2022 Nintendo Switch game, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, where players could capture monsters by throwing a Pal Sphere.

Six months later, Pocketpair admitted that the recent changes to the game, including Patch v0.3.11 released in November 2024, were a direct result of the legal threats. This update eliminated the ability to summon Pals by throwing Pal Spheres, replacing it with a static summon next to the player. Several other mechanics were also altered.

Pocketpair stated that failing to make these adjustments would have resulted in a more significant decline in gameplay quality.

Last week's Patch v0.5.5 further modified Palworld, changing the gliding mechanic so that it now requires a glider rather than Pals. Although Pals still offer passive gliding buffs, players must carry a glider to utilize this feature.

Pocketpair described these alterations as "compromises" forced upon them to avoid an injunction that could halt Palworld's development and sales.

Just a week later, modders stepped in to restore the gliding feature. As reported by Dexerto, Primarinabee’s Glider Restoration mod, available on Nexus Mods, undoes the changes from last week's patch.

“Palworld Patch 0.5.5? What? That didn't happen!” the mod description states.

It further explains, “For those of you who love flying with your pals, this mod uses sleight of hand to reverse the sleight-of-hand ‘removal’ of gliding pals. You still need a glider in your inventory, and it's not QUITE perfect, but it basically reverses Patch 0.5.5 without requiring you to forego future game updates.”

Released on May 10, Primarinabee’s Glider Restoration mod has already seen hundreds of downloads.

While there is a mod that attempts to restore the throw-to-release Pal mechanic, it does not fully replicate the original function, lacking the ball-throwing animation and instead summoning the Pal where the player is looking.

The longevity of Glider Restoration remains uncertain due to the ongoing lawsuit.

At the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in March, IGN had an extensive discussion with John “Bucky” Buckley, the communications director and publishing manager for Pocketpair. Following his presentation at the 'Community Management Summit: A Palworld Roller Coaster: Surviving the Drop,' Buckley provided candid insights into Palworld's challenges, including accusations of using generative AI and stealing Pokémon models for its Pals—claims that have been debunked and retracted. He also touched on the unexpected nature of Nintendo's patent infringement lawsuit against the studio.