Nintendo of Japan announced on Thursday that it has launched a lawsuit, claiming patent infringement against the creator of a video game that was humorously called “Pokemon with guns”.
The Japan-based studio Pocketpair, responsible for the “Palworld” game that went viral after its prototype was made available in January, is being sued by Nintendo and The Pokemon Company.
More than five million copies of “Palworld” were sold in just three days. The game incorporates monsters and player avatars with weapons that resemble the characters from Nintendo’s hugely successful “Pokemon” series.
The firms “filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the Tokyo District Court against Pocketpair” on Wednesday, according to a Nintendo statement.
“This lawsuit seeks an injunction against infringement and compensation for damages on the grounds that Palworld… infringes multiple patent rights,” stated the statement.
The amount of compensation claimed was not stated in the announcement.
In order to safeguard the things it has “worked hard to establish over the years,” Nintendo further stated that it would “take necessary actions against any infringement of its intellectual property rights”.
Although “Palworld” is still under production, US buyers can purchase a “early access version” of the game on the Steam website for $29.99.
“Fight, farm, build and work alongside mysterious creatures called ‘Pals’ in this completely new multiplayer, open world survival and crafting game!” As stated in its description.
Many critics and players noted the uncanny similarity between the “Pals” and Pokemon characters, leading some to refer to the game as “Pokemon with guns” despite the game’s initially excellent reviews.
One review on Steam stated that “most people, myself included, thought this game was going to be a meme,” according to the account of game developer Pirate Software.
“It’s actually insanely detailed, extremely well optimised, and compelling as hell.”
Pocketpair has been approached by AFP for comment.
Ever since its 1996 release as a role-playing game for the Nintendo Game Boy system, Pokemon has become a worldwide sensation.The “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” sloganed franchise also consists of animated TV series and movies.
