The Pokémon Company Confronts Palworld With Investigation For Potential Theft

After concern from fans, Pokémon has finally broken its silence on the controversial game that has become a viral phenomenon – Palworld.

Palworld is a new survival game that revolves around the idea of catching fantastical creatures called Pals. Many gamers had made the realization that most of these Pals have eerily similar designs to the very famous Pokémon. It drew a playerbase on the concept that it was “Pokémon with guns.” Everyone has been anticipating the response that Game freak, the developers of Pokemon, would have and they have finally released an official statement.

Related: Will Palworld Be Crossplay? [Explained]

Pokémon’s Official Statement for Palworld

On the official Pokémon Company Website, an official statement was posted both in Japanese and in English. The Pokémon Company states “We intend to investigate and take appropriate measures to address acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to the Pokemon.” It seems the devs have taken notice of all the viral videos and top posts on social media showing the comparisons of the Pals and Pokemon and intend to do their private investigation. While they have not stated Palworld’s name specifically, they did give a release date that matches with Palworld’s.

The Pokémon company also points out that they “have not granted any permission for the use of Pokemon intellectual property or assets in that game.” There was a Pokémon mod that had quickly gained traction only for it to have a very short life and immediately be taken down.

According to the Developers of Palword during an interview with Automation, they have gone through the proper actions to pass any legal evaluations because “We make our games very seriously and we have absolutely no intention of infringing upon the intellectual property of other companies.”

At this point, players of Palworld will have to wait to see what the result of this statement will be. Some believe that the Pokémon Company’s statement was made in obligation due to the controversies and viral talk of the similarities between Pokémon and Palworld. In the meantime, fans can continue to keep an eye on the Pokémon Company Website and the official Palworld Twitter/X for any updated news.