Nintendo’s gameplay patent could collapse under legal fire in a shock move by the head of the U.S. Patent Office

Close-up of Nintendo logo on red storefront sign.

Nintendo’s arsenal against Palworld is in serious trouble. In a move almost unheard of, the head of the U.S. Patent Office has personally stepped in to review one of Nintendo’s most controversial patents, the one that claims ownership of a basic game mechanic "summoning a helper and letting it fight in one of two modes."

In our previous article on Nintendo's U.S. efforts to collect anti-Palworld patents, patent 12403397 garnered quite the outcry from the gaming community as it targeted such a generic gaming mechanic used in hundreds of other games.