Palworld’s early-2024 debut immediately drew interest from players as well as Nintendo.
The game (commonly dubbed Pokémon with guns) blends monster-taming and survival systems similar to Nintendo’s classic formula while adding firearms and crafting as its own spin.
The Pokémon Company and Nintendo filed a case against Pocketpair in the Tokyo District Court in September 2024.
They claimed that Palworld infringed multiple Japanese patents they own covering creature-capture systems and called for an injunction and damages.
How Many Patents Are Tied to the Lawsuit?
The claim is based on three linked Japanese patents that outline creature capture, device-based containment, and gameplay use.
One of the main filings in question is patent application 2024-031879. It’s reported that this application fits into a patent family, with an older grant above it and a newer sibling patent below it.
Because the patents are linked, the validity of one affects the strength of the others. For example, if one claim is found invalid or unpatentable, it casts doubt on how novel the related filings actually are.
What Did the Japan Patent Office Decide?
In October 2025, the Japan Patent Office (JPO) issued a ruling on application 2024-031879, finding that the claimed invention lacked an “inventive step.”
Under Japanese patent rules, this means the invention would be considered obvious to someone with expertise in the field based on what was already publicly known.
According to the JPO, titles like ARK: Survival Evolved, Monster Hunter 4, Craftopia, Kantai Collection, and Pokémon GO had already featured mechanics involving throwing objects to capture creatures and deploying them afterward for in-game actions.
The ruling is open to challenge or amendment, but it nonetheless erodes the patent’s credibility.
How Much Damage Does the Ruling Deal to Nintendo?
This puts Nintendo in a tougher position, since the rejected filing was ruled non-innovative, which could make future courts more doubtful of its wider patent arguments.
Judges often give weight to the JPO’s technical findings even though they don’t legally bind them.
Additionally, the low amount of damages sought (approx. 5 million yen, or around US $33,000), coupled with escalating legal costs, means Nintendo risks investing far more into litigation than it might recover.
The possibility of filing amended claims or abandoning the application is on the table.
Is Palworld Now in a Stronger Position?
The JPO ruling gives Pocketpair a stronger footing and energises its defence.
They submitted references to earlier games with alike systems, basically saying Nintendo didn’t invent anything new.
With the JPO supporting that interpretation, Pocketpair gains some leverage. Even so, the legal battle continues.
The legal process hasn’t wrapped up, and Nintendo may keep advancing the rest of the patents in this group.
It’s still unclear if Nintendo will drop certain claims or revise them, but the momentum is currently against the company.
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