Yes, Nintendo Is Aware Of Palworld's Existence

My take on this is for now the Pokemon company doesn't find it as a real threat right now considering the other two major Pokemon clone games aren't really big anymore but other than that there's also the fact that depending on how this goes will also change how it will go on from what I have seen of different people quite a bit of people aren't too big on the survival or the base building aspects while some are but I have also heard that there are some clones of existing Pokemon designs in it but same time I've also heard that they have also changed some of those designs but I haven't played it yet so I'm not positive entirely.
On a side note I think the Pokemon company should put more attention to the quality game freak is giving for Pokemon.

The issue i feel isn't copying the formula as clearly Nintendo/TPC have no issues there but the fact the Devs have ripped off so many PM designs. Before people say "yeah but PM has over 1000 designs so it would be hard to be original" well i say Digimon never had that issue, Persona/SMT don't nor do games like Cassette Beasts. The designs in Palworld really are on thin ice i feel between being inspired and just outright plagiarism.

When the game is being accused of tweaking pokemon models... there's an issue. https://x.com/covingtown/status/1749462735291859423?s=20

I think while the design of monsters and plagiarism allegations aren’t without merit, I think many have taken it too far. Death threats are reprehensible.

I also want to say, the game appears to have solid gameplay and graphics, and provides much needed competition in the monster catching RPG space. I think the success of this title shows how people want higher quality types of these games, more so then TPCi has been offering the past decade it feels.

Yeah, kinda like Black Clover and Naruto.

@Eagly_lmtd_xmasskin no clue who that dude is in the right picture, but that abomination on the left was a horrible parody of the Christopher Reeves Superman. And considering he made me cry and not laugh, DC Comics has every right to sue whoever made those movies into the ground.

As for OG topic, Palworld clearly flips Pokemon assets it found on the internet. Parody doesn't supercede plagiarism

Pokémon Company has become such a hyve of scum and villainy that I would actually be happy for Pal World to inflict damage on them by existing. Unfortunately its not true and Pokémon will continue being the disrespect towards the audience that it so far has been.

Using designs that are closely similar to Pokémon ones is probably okay. Using their actual models and meshes is infringement. It's the difference between having a wise old wizard as a mentor and having him actually quote the Lord of the Rings.

@Eagly_lmtd_xmasskin Palworld's Devs seem to be literally taking already existing designs and then tweaking them, The Boy's didn't steal Superman's design while the Devs behind Palworld clearly are stealing designs with the help of AI.

Also you need to look parody laws as it isn't what you think, you can't just steal art and say well its a parody so its cool. Homelander doesn't look or act like Superman, he's based on Superman and his look is inspired but he's very much his own character and his look is very much stands on his own. Also The Boys isn't a parody and calling it one is like calling Watchmen a parody.

@Lxlxrxzx What disrespect? A shoddy technical state is the only thing Gen 9 is really guilty off and guess what Palworld is far far worse in that regard.

Nice to know you're fine with theft and using AI to help with that though.

@DennisReynolds
To be completely fair to PocketPair, there is currently no proof that Palworld is using AI to generate their Pals. Their CEO seems to love AI based on some old comments he made, but there is no evidence that it is currently being used in the game. No need to muddy the already very muddled waters.

They are seemingly leaning into good old-fashioned plagiarism, not AI-generated plagiarism.

@edgedino Question.. what were the other two "clones" which got popular? Off the top of my head, I can only think you might be alluding to Digimon and Yokai Watch, both of which aren't clones in the slightest.

Unless you mean something like Coromon, Nexomon or TemTem, I'm lost at what you'd be referring to.

Palworld copied ARK Survival and not Pokemon.

People wouldn't know how a pokemon game plays even if it hit them in their face. lol

@DennisReynolds This rumor only exist because the game weren't released on Switch and PS5.

Craftopia from same developer were Xbox exclusive since 2020.

@Toastmaster It copied both. The gameplay is just a better version of ARK, and a good amount of the designs are pretty much pokemon rip-offs. I say this as someone who likes other Monster Taming games outside of Pokemon.

Cremis is literally Eevee. Like, its not even them trying to hide it. It is just white Eevee with yellow eyes.

@westman98 Ok fair enough i'm just basing that on a lot of comments i've seen but i wouldn't be shocked though, these designs do have an air of AI about them imo so i suppose we will see.

@Toastmaster Rumour? There's mounting evidence of it increasing by the hour. It being a monster tamer crossed with Ark isn't the issue its the monster designs themselves.

@VoidofLight Okay then.

@DennisReynolds If it's true, it will never be ported ever.

All I'm curious about is how they handle their success. Can they keep up with content? More...Pals? Bigger maps? and can they fix the server issues? Time will tell I guess. How long can it keep the attention of this new generation of gamers?

Nintendo and co will likely watch and wait. If it is a strong case for infringement, better to let the damages stack to sue them out of business and if it isn’t infringing then better to watch someone that might try to take away customer mindshare.

@nimnio “ Saying ‘they copied, but the game is fun’ doesn’t sit right with me. It’s like saying it’s okay to steal as long as the result is enjoyable.”

Sakurai used an SNES Shonen Jump game and mechanics (not to mention the idea of using crossover characters) to create Smash Bros. But nobody accused him of plagiarism, ‘cause Smash Bros “is fun”, right?

Man i so love that game, addicted to it.

There's something vaguely sinister about that game, I won't repeat the various allegations. I'm just waiting for the bomb to drop. When we get news that the palworld devs have criminal ties or even engaged in criminal activity themselves, or something along those lines. There's no way there isn't something going on.

They won't comment because further investigation is needed. If the Pals were really designed by AI which has Pokemon images in its training dataset, then Pokemon can sue them. If not, they can't do anything.

Come on Nintendo, you’ve shown more aggression towards fan projects based on games you don’t even sell anymore. This game has blatantly used AI to design the creatures to the point it looks like The Island of Dr. Moreau.

I've been playing the game and so far enjoying it. I'm not sure how I feel about some assets being quite similar to TPCs. There have been others lately that use Nintendo success to draw in an audience. I'm not saying it's fine cause "everyone's doing it," as again I'm not sure how I feel about it.

In the end I spent the $40 already so I'm gonna keep playing the game. And if the first while has any indication, I'm gonna keep enjoying it.

I've seen examples that the models literally overlap woth some Pokemon. And the pink lizard very obviously had both its design and its lore lifted from Salazzle's Pokedex entry.

I could imagine TPC are waiting for it to cool down before it drops the Hammer because their Early Access strategy thrives off attention. Unless they can get it pulled from steam before they do it it'll only send more attention to it.

Nintendo sued Enterbrain over less in the 90s when they tried to make Emblem Saga ripping off Fire Emblem. If Pokemon models really have been stolen and edited or produced through generative AI, or just straight up plagiarised I can't imagine Nintendo would let it slide.

Surprised nobody is looking at the backgrounds, which to me look like they were bought assets. Lovely looking assets, and there is nothing wrong with not wanting to reinvent the wheel, that's what asset stores are for after all.

But!!! it looks like it is put together by a lot, like A LOT of assets. The monsters, main character models and backgrounds don't gel together, at ALL.

And it could be me, but the main character feels like the controls are taken straight out of Fortnite. I think I saw one do that slide thing in a trailer.

So while I am not saying asset flip, I am also not... not saying it... I guess...

Ah whatever, if it is fun, it is fun.

I think some competition will do Game Freak some good. I mean, the game is in a better playing state than when Pokémon Scarlet and Violet came out.

@edgedino Uhhh, what are you calling the main two Pokemon clones? Digimon, I got that, but the new Dragon Quest Monsters is selling pretty well.

@Dr_Lugae This is a very sensible comment, and probably the way things will happen. Let them make their money, we will take it later.

Aside from the blatant copying, I say Game Freak can learn a thing or two about the game from the visuals, to design to mechanics.

This look more of a 2020s game than anything Pokémon has done in the past few years.

I have played the game for quite a few hours now and while at first I thought, wow they blatantly ripped off Pokemon... after playing for a while and encountering a lot of different Pals, there are plenty unique Pals in the game.

Sure there are some Pals that could be called literal rip-offs with just some minor alteration/recoloring.

So in worst case, Palworld might have to remove/rework those handful of Pals that too closely resemble existing Pokemon.

@SmogHobbit The games a complete mess on Xbox with a terrible framerate, constant crashes and bugs galore. Gen 9 actually had better launch, it had issues pretty big ones but no one where near Palworld's issues. Where an "AI made asset flip" struggles to hit 30fps on the Series X you have to question things.

@DennisReynolds It runs great on PC though.

Personally I think it is just a bad game that takes very clear (and maybe illegal) influences from Pokemon but gameplay is like a poor mashup of Fortnite and Zelda BOTW.
More importantly, it is just a sad state of gamers that something so poorly made and devoid of creativity is doing so well when there are so many actually brilliant and unique games go unnoticed and actually good developers go broke.

I’m not surprised, they also refused to comment on the “Bowsette” meme.

@Specters well, that has been an issue for decades now. You just described what Western AAAs are.

"so poorly made and devoid of creativity is doing so well"

At least Palworld is fun

My two cents is that the Devs know exactly what they're doing here.

@Rika_Yoshitake

That isn't sooo close

Hell of a marketing strategy by Palworld. Use composites of Pokemon designs for its monsters to bait the gaming media and fan forums into promoting it as much as possible. Sadly it seems to be working a treat.

It looks like Nintendo is not taking any steps but this is only part of their strategy, they are preparing to the fullest.

All this company does is copy what others are doing. All of their games. Nothing special.

I do not get it.

Why the developers and publishers of the biggest gaming franchise should answer anything about other game?!

If they can actually prove there was plagiarism involved then sure. Throw the book at them. However I personally don't think they have a strong case. Palworld is not the first Pokémon competitor nor will it be the last. It seems like the only reason people are calling foul on this is simply because it became really popular unlike most other competitors so far.

I personally don't really have a horse in this race as I don't play Pokémon and I don't play survival games like Palworld. Still it has been fascinating to see how upset this game's success has made some Pokémon fans.

I wouldn’t be surprised if an update suddenly altered some of the models to make them more distinct.

Even as a big Pokemon fan I think this looks fantastic. If it comes to playstation or Nintendo I'm getting it 100%

Meh. I don’t spend my time nor my money on poorly recycled plagiarism. There is nothing inspirational about it. Doesn’t taste good. Doesn’t worth it. Power to Nintendo.

@Ponyolovesgames Might as well do that for EVERY games site then. It's hot news, of course it's going to be covered. Every games site is covering it extensively.

I have no particular reason to dislike this game, my gut just says I wouldn't like it.

Honestly I never expected this game to take off so much. I guess the draw of Pokemon with guns is just that alluring, and I’m sure the gameplay is engaging enough to be popular. It’ll be interesting to see if Nintendo/TPC actually takes action, or if they’re even able to, since, knowing Nintendo, I’m sure they would love to take this thing down

I have been addicted to the game, I have put in 30 hours on it already and I still keep wanting more. It is only in early access too... The game is now in 2nd for most concurrent players on steam for all time. I doubt the devs even thought it would be this successful.

Got curious and started playing shortly after launch, and got to say, for an early access title this is a solid game. And honestly I don’t think Nintendo could do anything about Palworld with 6 million copies sold already. The backlash would destroy them

@ikki5
Is it online? Or single-player

@Spider-Kev

Online Co-op and/or single player. I play with 3 other people right now. I know on PC. I think you can get servers of up to 32 players. I hope they add PVP.

Right now the achievements are bugged when playing online but if you do the single player, you can unlock the catching ones. You can customize the world to speed things up or slow them down and make it even harder.

It's insane that the artists have gotten death threats over this. What the f**k is going on, with some of todays gamers, taking it that far?!

I don't dislike the game but I don't get why so many are calling it a 'Pokemon Killer'. As if these games cannot both exist

Is Studio Wildcard aware?

"We own creature capturing and all generic, cute art styles" is a pretty weak argument from Nintendo, but "This is literally an ARK mod/reskin" from Wildcard might have some legs.

@DennisReynolds Well said, couldn't agree more.

@HeadPirate
There is no way Studio Wildcard isn't aware but as long as their intellectual property or copyright isn't being violated then they can't do anything. Unlike with Pokemon, it doesn't seem like any Ark assets or models were plagiarized.

@NarwhalKing I never believe anyone when they scream they have death threats from the internet .. way too much crying wolf and just saying that to get sympathy.

The Pokemon company is one of the most profitable media entities out there ... selling like 20-50 million copies of their games, a game like this shouldn't matter if anything make the next pokemon games better... Skipped the last one due to its ugly emptiness and glitchyness

@westman98

Legally, this isn't about copyright. Nothing of Nintendo's was "plagiarized". The "Pals" are generic, cute creatures that honestly look more like Sanrio characters then Pokémon. There are only so many ways you can draw a "ferret standing on two legs" or a "round thing with a face", and Nintendo doesn't "own" those character designs as an idea.

Peaking behind the curtain, most Pokémon and other designs like this are mathematical. Draw a circle. Work out the golden and silver ratio. Draw two ovals the based on the silver ratio equidistant from a fixed point based on the golden ratio. What do you get? Jigglypuff. But also Cinnamoroll. And Kurby. It's the TINY additions that make them different charters.

So instead, the claim would be IP infringement, where you say that the game taken as a whole is meant to confuse consumers into thinking it's part of your IP. Nintendo have no leg to stand on here. They do not own the generic idea of capturing creatures, and that's where any similarity to Pokémon stops.

But absolutely this feels like, looks like, plays like, and has the exact same systems and menus of ARK. In fact a lot of the numerical values, like base durability and the amount of damage weapons do to base assists, are identical to ARK. IP infringement doesn't require you to show anything of yours was copied on a individual level, just that the end result is close enough that the "average person" might get confused.

That said ... it's likely still not enough to met the burden of evidence. Games copy each other. ARK has the MUCH stronger case, but I doubt it's strong enough.

@HeadPirate
People have dug into the in-game files and compared models from Palworld and Pokemon. Some of the comparisons absolutely indicate copying here, not just inspiration or parody (like you would see in other monster catching RPGs).

@westman98

Again, I don't dispute that.

But anyone, at any time, could do the same with the 1000+ Pokémon and the 300+ Sanrio models. You would find what you could easily call rip offs. You would find characters that are virtually identical. You can do the same by comparing Pokémon, epically cat, bunny and bug Pokémon, to stuff that's existed in anime for decades.

Take the coin off Meowth's forehead and his literally any one of a dozen anime cats. Persian is even worse, it's just a cat any 9 year old would draw without the forehead dot. And that's fine! It's the coin .. that one, single detail, that makes him unique. But it works both ways.

The only difference here is that "the internet" is bringing attention to it.

Pokémon just aren't as original , nor do you need to make as much change to make something legally distinct as people seem to think. especially with models based on aesthetic principals like the golden ratio where only a few points of deviation are even possible.

I STRONGLY support IP rights, I'm a creator myself. But Voltorb doesn't give Nintendo the right to sue anyone who draws a two color sphere with eyes, and that's a really, really good thing.

@Princess_Lilly I would say that especially about yearly franchises but for a 'brand new' IP this is uniquely bad for being so successful.

As for it being fun, that's my point is it is actually less than its component parts and that gamers are somehow enthralled with should disappoint any creative person. It doesn't do survival better than survival games, doesn't do monster catching (and designs) better than monster catching games, doesn't do third person shooting better than third person shooters, doesn't do MMOs better than MMOs. Why bother making something creative and exciting when you can just throw together this nonsense that is a step above an asset flip?

Further I've seen several of the 'most helpful' reviews on Steam that explicitly state they love it because it makes people angry. Really tells you a lot about what is motivating these gamers.

@Eagly_lmtd_xmasskin agree. And anyway it still looks better than GF last work. Seems that there’s even more effort to produce something that looks modern

@VoidofLight temtem was one of them I already forgot the name of the other it might happen yo-kai watch but I know yo-kai watch wasn't a clone but it was a big game at one point that was considered a competitor at the beginning.

@Poodlestargenerica look above

@edgedino Oh you mean new games. There were like thirty pokemon clones back in the late 90s, I have a separate folder just for them.

@nimnio I dont get the issue of copying being bad. As a gamer, not an investor, I couldnt care less if a game is a copy or not.

If a game is fun, its fun. Whether someone stole the idea has no impact on that. They are very different concepts.

Ive not played palworld, but id have to concerns doing so.

@Rika_Yoshitake How many pokemon are there? Seems like the probability of matching up to one by coincidence is pretty high. Especially the four-legged ones which are already all very similar to each other in size.

its not nintendo game 🦧

Well one thing I know having previously owned Scarlet/Violet is that Palworld runs better as a alpha on the old Xbos One S than either of those ran on current hardware.

@HeadPirate
Again, I'm not talking about Palworld designs sharing the same base creature concept as Pokemon designs (that is totally fine), I'm referring to parts of models or parts of models that share near-identical shape and topology (i.e. number of vertices, edges, tris, etc) with existing Pokemon.

@Dr_Lugae Yeah like there is one Pal that is litterally just Goodra fused with Meganium.

I supported Tem Tem and that actually followed a lot of Pokemon mechanics. So I have no issue with Pokemon clones themselves.

But A LOT of the designs, especially the ones most heavily marketed, look like either direct clones or like fusions ... well made fusions mind you. But some of them are stupidly close.

As for an actual lawsuit ... I don't know as even if they are close they're also not exact so it goes into a grey area.

But really people acting like this is a "threat" to Pokemon are just being stupid. Pokemon is an RPG. This is an open world survival and crafting game with at best some light RPG elements thrown in.

It's not even really the same genera. This isn't "the pokemon game we always wanted" it's an entirely different kind of game.

If you like it that's fine but I do wish people would stop pretending like "the pokemon killer has arrived".

While I'm not ok with blatant plagiarism, I'm also not ok with Game Freak designing stupid ugly "monsters" for the new games and saying, "Wow, its all new and it's better than ever!" When, in fact, it is worse than before and painful to look at. I mean come on, Garbador?!?! Clefkey???!!! The stupid icecream cone, or the cupcake?!?!? Goodra, sounds/looks like what you give a 2bit H***er. Give me a break!

Originality was replaced with complacence due to dedicated fans loyalty and this has bred laziness in design of the creatures as well as innovation in the Pokemon games themselves. They have rested on their fans and not updated anything worth while.

Palworld isn't original and the designs certainly aren't either, but they are giving people something that they want... Variety! A thing that Game Freak and Nintendo waved "bye bye" to long ago, in my opinion with Pkmn X/Y.

Arceus was fun, but lacking. It gave a glimpse of what pokemon could become, but then we got Scar-lacking and Vio-leaveitalone, both are just atrocious. And we have people complaining about Palworld? Be louder to Game Freak and Nintendo in telling them that their bland pokemon-esque games of recent years need to have higher quality in both design and build. If Nintendo, The Pokemon Company and Game Freak want to go after these devs, then they will. Stop being their free police and just watch it all unfold.

@Unit_DTH Heavily disagree with basically everything you said.

Yes I'm not the biggest fan of all Pokemon designs but even the latest gen had a fair few solid ones. A the very least Palworld with many designs looking copied from Pokemon is ... hardly the glowing beacon of origionality that's going to teach Gamefreak a lesson.

As far as innovation they tried that but it always gets muted responses at best.

There was Pokemon Ranger, Pokemon mystery Dungeon, Pokemon Colliseum just to name a few.

Pokemon has made other games with other styles. It's just the mainline entries generally go for more gradual and safe improvements over doing anything major. Because the one time they tried to softreboot the series with black and white everyone attacked them for it.

My point is the idea Pokemon never innovated is a false narrative. It's just the mainline entries have an issue and it's largely the fans fault. Because fans always deman more of the same and always take issue with any innocation attempted.

And if you think Palworld at all represents innovation ... it's a typical survival crafting game with typical shooting mechanics and typical creature capturing mechanics. Wether the game is fun is one thing but it's certianly not innocative. It's different from mainline Pokemon because it's an entirely different genera.

now all of this isn't saying Pokemon couldn't stand to improve in some areas. But this nonsense of blind hate and vague demands for innovation while also not being happy with innovation like Scarlet and Violet bieng more open world ... WTF are you even expecting at this point? Be specific if you want your conplaints to matter.

However I do FULLY AGREE with you on that last part. We don't need to police this stuff for Game Freak. Lets stop feeding the fire by overly reacting to it and just watch it unfold more or less. It's fine to still discuss the game but the more toxic responses to Palworld need to stop.

@westman98

I understand what you are saying.

Completely. 100%. You are saying that the models used in this game are near identical to the models used in Pokémon, based on a visual and rudimentary software comparison. I get it. I agree with that.

Now, let me open up Maya.

import maya.cmds as cmds

cmds.sphere(r=5)

Oh look, it's a Voltorb. It's 100% a Voltorb. The exact model. The exact texture map, although that map is currently empty. Press a button to add a texture, press a button in an add on I have that add eyes based on the silver ratio ... yep, that is a Voltorb.

So can Nintendo sue me now? Did I rip off Pokémon in making this generic mathematically produced sphere? Can they sue Maya for including a command that draws a Voltorb model?

My argument is that the reason Pal and Pokémon are similar is because Pokémon are generic models based on clearly defined mathematical and astatic principals. Pokémon and Pal are also nearly identical to Sanrio characters for the same reason.

Many of the works of Rachel Ruysch and Ambrosius Bosschaert look nearly identical, down to minute details, color, argument, and even brush stroke. Is it because the copied each other? No, it's because they each produced 100s of paintings of flowers, and at the end of the days, their are only so many ways you can paint a flower. But if the internet tried to convince people that one ripped off the other, there would be overwhelming evidence and tons of examples.

You can't have it both ways.

One school of thought is that Nintendo owns every sphere anyone ever draws (Voltorb), as well as every generic cat model used (Persian),every cute bunny character, including Sanrio's "My Melody" (Buneary and Scorbunny), most cartoon mice including Sanrio's "Flat" (Minccino) and dozens of other generic designs.

In the case of My Melody and Flat Nintendo would own them because, while both predate Pokémon by decades, Nintendo had 3d models before Sanrio did. So Sanrio couldn't make a 3d model of characters they owned because, even though they made them first, either they would need to make a 3d model that looked too much like a Pokémon, or they would need to make a model that looked nothing like the character they own so it was different enough.

That's a terrifying world I'm glad we don't live in.

The other school of thought is that if you make a character based on a generic model, it's not protected based on it's generic model but on the details that make it stand out. My Melody and Buneary both have very similar models because they are both bunnies, and there are only so many ways you can draw a anthropomorphic bunny. That's not the protected part.

Legally, its the second school of thought that is accepted. Most of the time when the internet gets upset at a company trying to protect their IP, it's also the second school of though that is popular because it's the company suing the artist that is the bad guys. But in this one case, it seems the first school of thought is what people are going with because Palworld are the bad guys.

@Ponyolovesgames You know @Metazoxan is right, true Gamefreak didn't invent dinosaurs.

But when a set of monsters look like they're a Frankenstein creation of readily identifiable Pokemon parts stitched together or carbon copies then it's entering the realms of blatant plagiarism.

Contrast to Digimon where despite both Digimon and Pokemon often using the exact same animals, objects or concepts for monsters, the designs are very different. No one looks at Agumon and see's charmander despite both being firebreathing reptiles.

People do look at Palworld monsters and they see very specific Pokemon.

Now if they become to similar to the Pokémon characters designs that would be different. But Devs copy other Devs as well but the line when you cross into IP or Copyright that is different. So far what I've seen is a knock off and nothing too similar is in the cards so far.

@SwitchForce A few I'd say are REALLY questionable with how they almost look like pure reskins on Pokemon models.

But to be fair most aren't THAT blatant so worst case scenario the devs have to update the game with a few designs tweeked.

Nothing about the designs as a whole or it's fundemental design is taken from Pokemon that's not legally countable as inspired.

Like they capture the Pal's in balls ... that's OBVIOUSLY from Pokemon but they're also legally distinct enough from Pokeballs that it's not an issue unless they make them red topped and white bottomed.

But what I find funny is the modders already trying to just traight up put Pokemon int he game ... the game's already in a grey area as it is and they just can't resist putting full on Pokemon in the game.

So far Nintendo's only taken legal action against a modder that was charging for his Pokemon mod which was really dumb of him.

it's become the popular thing to dog on Nintendo but for the most part as long as you're not profiting off their IP in some way they don't tend to bother too many.

They have a weird obsession with footage on Youtube that they need to work out but it's fine otherwise.

@Metazoxan Of course you disagree with "almost everything" I've said and you are free to do that.

That's fine, you're entitled to your opinions about the whole situation and I don't have to agree with anything that you say either.

The fact that you took me saying it gives "Variety" as me saying they are innovative shows how little you actually read what I wrote and made an assumption based on your dislike of my viewpoint, which is entirely mine and I wrote it down to give myself a type of release from the inner scream that the comment section, and article, have started.

Palworld isn't innovative, but neither is pokemon at this point.

For the record, pkmn Black and White were my last favorite titles in the franchise that did everything right, imo.

I've been playing pokemon since it was first released in the US in 1995, I tried all things to get "pikablu" in my versions of Red & Blue... all to no avail. I give that info to point out that I'm not some new-comer with a disdain for pokemon because it's not new. I'm an old fan of how much fun it used to be.

My complaints about Scar gagging noises and Vio wretching noises is that they weren't complete games. They were pushed out before they were finished, the motorcycle lizards were just appalling in all aspects (to me, I know ppl that liked them), and the world felt only slightly less vacant than Arceus.

This must be said about Palworld, it's popularity and dizzying current sales records shows that perhaps this is the direction that Pokemon should go, Not the guns and all, but just something more. The fans be damned for not understanding how new ideas (I'm speaking to the Black and White Nay-sayers) need to be incorporated into an almost 30 year old franchise. Some will work, some won't, but just because it isn't the same game that you got last time, doesn't mean that what you dislike is disliked by all others.

That's gotten long-winded.

@Unit_DTH

Pokémon didn't get less fun. You got older, and started to seek out experiences that were more complex. That's fine. It's natural. There will always be new children looking for a childish, simple experience. That's what Pokémon is and always will be.

At time of release, Scarlet and Violet were Nintendo's fastest selling games of all time. The hype from the release helped Pokémon pass Sanrio as the most recognizable brand on earth. While Hello Kitty is still the single most recognizable human creation, Pikachu is catching up.

Arceus sold less then the "Let's Go" series, despite a 13 point higher review score then S/V on Metacritic.

So ... I think they are pretty happy with the direction Pokemon is currently heading in and wont take any ques from Palworld. If you've outgrown the simplistic, non-innovative model that defines these games, just accept that and find a more complex experience elsewhere. Look at it the same way you look at playing with toy trucks or coloring books. It's just not for you any more, it's not objectively "bad".

As for Palworld's sales ... take it with a grain of salt. 32 million people got the game for free, and the cross play servers are all hosted by Steam.

They are reporting a "sale" every time someone downloads this game and tries it for 5 minutes on Game Pass. This isn't shady ... a game "sale" is actually just issuing a license for personal use (we don't own or buy software), and that's exactly what happens when someone plays it on Game Pass. But Game Pass likely paid them a flat rate, so this isn't translating to more money.

The steam numbers are extremely impressive, but again, they include people who didn't pay for the game and got it though Game Pass.

All and all Palword is likely a very successful game, especially based on it's budget and developer. But it's not as earth shattering as the inflated exposer is making it out to be, and it's extremely unlikely it will reach S/V 23 millions sales even including the Game Pass players.

@HeadPirate Oh no, it did get less fun and that is my opinion.
I enjoyed Sword and Shield and Arceus, but The two latest entries just totally derailed the pokemon train.

I'm not looking for "more complex experiences", I'm an adult, with children (both teenage and young), I couldn't find time for more complex experiences if I wanted to. I just want to see actual innovation with the pokemon franchise and a 180 from the lazy, boring designs of most new additions to the 'dex.

@Unit_DTH

Do you generally enjoy the toys you buy for your preteen children? Do they engage you for dozens of hours and have you wanting to come back to play more?

I think you should focus more on the coloring book analogy. Nintendo is making a product for children, and as an adult, you have a fundamental disconnect from what a child finds appealing.

I don't really care if you like or don't like Pokémon, but on a more general level, if you are questioning the "innovation" of a product designed for children who don't know what the word "innovation" means ... that might be your first clue that you're looking at the product with the wrong set of eyes.

I mean, the sales speak for themselves. The fact that people talk about the 3rd best selling Pokémon game of all time like it's the black sheep of the franchise should be a pretty big indicator that they have disconnected from what makes a "good" Pokémon game. And that's fine. They should be. Unless they are 8.

@Toastmaster Right..... keep saying that to yourself.

Yes, Nintendo knows how to use the internet and is much more aware of copyright laws than keyboard warriors.

@HeadPirate
Come on now, nobody is talking about Pals or Pokemon who look like simple easily-defined geometric shapes like spheres or cubes. All of the Pals that have been pointed out as possible evidence of plagiarism are complex 3D models with hundreds or thousands of vertices/tris/edges/etc.

@westman98

Not really.

First, the models are extremely simple by 3d standards.

Second, people are talking about how a Pal uses one part of one Pokémon, another from another Pokémon, and another from a 3rd Pokémon. Just look at the article, that's the literally the example given.

But the "parts" are all basic geometric shapes generated by formula as part of all 3d modeling programs. Leafion has convex oval! So does a Pal! Plagiarism!

So what you end up with is people pointing out that a Pal contains a convex oval, a ring of half circles, and two guttate psoriasis, things you can find in 3 different Pokémon!

Yeah, Dah. Those are the basic building blocks of every 3d model ever made. That's the problem with internet justice, it's irrational. The only way a model in this game would been seen as not ripping off a Pokémon would be if every single model contained nothing but free hand polygons that we don't have a name for, given the 1000+ Pokémon use every single polygon we DO have a name for millions of times.

Think of it as a book. Plagiarism happens, but as soon as you are arguing that Moby Dick is a ripoff because it contains some of the same words in phrases found in Frankenstein, Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations you stopped being a critical thinker.