They Don't Mention Palworld Directly, But The Pokémon Company Will "Investigate"

Look, when a lot of us have referred to Pocketpair's Palworld as "Pokémon with guns", it isn't surprising that The Pokémon Company would have had their eyes on the survival game. They've probably been giving the game the side-eye for quite some time, just silently.

While action was already taken, very quickly, against a Pokémon mod players created for Palworld, action against the game itself hasn't come despite some rampant internet claims of "infringement" and AI use, claims Pocketpair's CEO Takuro Mizobe has flat out denied. Some of those accusations have since been debunked, but not surprisingly The Pokémon Company intends to take a closer look anyway.

In a statement on The Pokémon Company's site, the company says they've received "many inquiries regarding another company’s game released in January 2024." While they don't call out Palworld by name, we all know who they're talking about.

The Pokémon company continues on by saying they "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."

None of this is surprising at all. Companies HAVE to take a look at things they think are close to their IPs. If you let things go by, defending your copyrights in court becomes much harder in future cases of infringement allegations.

Whether this finds its way to an actual allegation from The Pokémon Company or sees the inside of a courtroom is something we'll just have to wait and see (and we highly doubt). It's not like Palworld has been quiet about their game. We've seen quite a bit for along time now, but, as I've seen some speculate, maybe you wait until the game is being sold and there's potential money to collect before you move...if you have a legal leg to stand on, of course.

Here is The Pokémon Company's statement in full:

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.

The Pokémon Company