Palworld Alters Summoning Mechanic Following Nintendo Patent Lawsuit

The update changes how players summon creatures, likely in response to legal claims of patent infringement by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company

Palworld's latest update replaces the mechanic of throwing Pal Spheres to summon creatures with a system where they appear next to the player in a flash of light.
The change comes after Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed a lawsuit in September 2024, alleging patent infringement related to creature-catching and summoning mechanics.
The lawsuit seeks ¥10 million ($65,000 USD) in damages and accuses Palworld of copying key gameplay elements from Pokémon, including the use of throwable spheres to summon creatures.
Pocketpair, the developer of Palworld, has not explicitly confirmed the update is a response to the lawsuit but has stated its intent to defend its position in ongoing legal proceedings.
Despite the legal challenges, Palworld has been a commercial success, selling 15 million copies on Steam and gaining 10 million players on Xbox in its first month of release.