The Pokemon Company is looking into potential copyright infringement, but Palworld fans don't think they're going to find anything

25.01.2024 - 14:57 / gamesradar.com / Hope Bellingham

After The Pokemon Company revealed it would "investigate" games like Palworld for copyright infringement, the survival game's fans are confident it won't amount to much. 

On January 25, The Pokemon Company broke its silence over Palworld - telling concerned fans in a statement that it intends to "investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights." Although the survival game bears a resemblance to Pokemon, many Palworld fans have remained unfazed by the news - confident that Nintendo will struggle to find a leg to stand on. 

In a Reddit post sharing the statement, many fans have shared their thoughts on the situation. "All this statement says is that Nintendo is looking into whether their IP has been infringed, and if so, they will take action," one user rationally explained. "That is literally what every company with copyrighted IP does, it's why copyright laws exist in the first place," the comment continues. 

Other fans have pointed out that it's unlikely that Nintendo / The Pokemon Company wasn't well aware of the 'Pokemon with guns' game when it was first unveiled a couple of years ago. Instead, Reddit users think that it's more likely that this statement was spurred on following the news of a Palworld Pokemon mod which is currently on ice until the creator figures out how to release it and simultaneously "avoid a lawsuit."

"It's PR speak to get people to stop reporting the game to them. I doubt [The Pokemon Company] hasn't already looked at it and gone yeah, it's fine," one user has theorized. "I think this is a 'we keep getting harassed about this so here' kind of statement," another adds. This does seem the most likely reason behind the statement, as Palworld's lead has already shot down legal concerns following the Pokemon comparisons. 

"I mean there's nothing [The Pokemon Company] can do," one Reddit user reassures others in the subreddit. "The game has no mention of Pokemon in it, none of the creatures are exact copies of Pokemon, and they all have different names than any of the Pokemon. They have nothing to stand on. Wouldn't even worry about it. It means nothing."

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