The Pokémon Company to investigate use of its IP in Palworld

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last week, you’ll have heard of the game Palworld. It’s moved over 8 million copies on Steam in just 6 days, an impressive figure. It’s also had allegations of plagiarism and IP theft levelled against it, a fair amount of the monsters in the game very similar to other Pokémon.

It so close that even The Pokémon Company has now made a statement, and although they don’t mention Palworld by name, it’s obvious who they’re talking about.

We have received many inquiries regarding another company’s game released in January 2024. 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. 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.

We’re not sure if the statement is speaking to the base game itself, or modders who have put actual Pokémon into the game as well. This won’t be over anytime soon, any investigation will take some time – meanwhile the game will continue to sell.