The Pokémon Company has released a statement following claims gaming sensation Palworld has effectively used and modified Pokémon character designs.
“We intend to investigate and take appropriate measures,” reads the statement, published on the Pokémon Company website.
“We have not granted any permission for the use of Pokémon intellectual property or assets in that game.”
The Pokémon Company owns the Pokémon brand, and is itself owned by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures Inc.
This issue arose shortly after Palworld was released on January 19, and after it became a viral sensation. It has sold upwards of eight million copies on PC platform Steam, according to the game’s X account.
Artists, developers and interested gamers have posted on X about similarities between the avatars used in Palworld and the 3D Pokémon games. These include former Blizzard game designer Eric Covington.
“To “accidentally” create a complex model mesh with so near-exact proportions is practically impossible. To repeat that improbability throughout your roster… doesn’t pass the sniff test,” he wrote.
To “accidentally” create a complex model mesh with so near-exact proportions is practically impossible. To repeat that improbability throughout your roster… doesn’t pass the sniff test. #Palworld #Pokemon
— Eric Covington (@covingtown) January 22, 2024
(Media credit: @byofrog) pic.twitter.com/IiSEe7MCDq
This was in reaction to videos made by X user @byofrog, who posted what purport to be comparisons of 3D character mesh models from Palworld and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, released in 2022.
Palworld CEO Takuro Mizobe responded to this online debate on January 22, a few days before The Pokémon Company’s statement.
“We are receiving slanderous comments against our artists, and we are seeing tweets that appear to be death threats,” he said, according to X’s translation of the original Japanese tweet.
“I have received a variety of opinions regarding Palworld, but all productions related to Palworld are supervised by multiple people, including myself, and I am responsible for the production.
“I would appreciate it if you would refrain from slandering the artists involved in Palworld.”
Mizobe says he also effectively acted as the game’s producer, in a lengthy interview with Automaton.
The game is developed by Pocket Pair, which previously made 2020’s Craftopia. That title took visual inspiration from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild but, much like Palworld, features gameplay based on crafting and survival.
Craftopia saw nothing like the success Palworld has already achieved. Palworld’s concurrent player record on Steam is 2.018 million, according to SteamDB, while Craftopia’s was 27,246 players.
Palworld is currently in early access, meaning it is flagged as an unfinished title.
