Nintendo Is Trying to Kill Palworld... And They're Not Even Hiding It Anymore

Nintendo's legal warpath plows on.... I mean at this point, Nintendo seems more focused on litigation than video games, but such is life when you get this massive, I suppose.

Not just on copyright infringement, but on innovation itself. We have some movement from the lawsuit against the developer "Pocketpair" game Palworld that makes it abundantly clear to everyone: this isn’t just about protecting Pikachu’s precious image... it’s about crushing any competition whatsoever that dares to play in the same sandbox. The fallout from all this will send ripples through the entire video game industry.

Palworld’s developer, Pocketpair, announced on X (below) that they’ve been forced to make “disappointing” changes to the game, not because players asked for it, not because the mechanics didn’t work... but because Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are strong-arming them through the courts. Summoning Pals via throwable spheres? Nope! Gone. Gliding with Pals? Haha those too have been nerfed into oblivion. These aren’t just tweaks. They’re direct hits against what made Palworld unique, fun, and I mean, let’s be honest... more interesting than the last few mainline Pokémon games together combined.

Let’s call this what it is: Nintendo trying to kill Palworld before it can turn into something much bigger... Which is saying something because many could argue, it's already a massive phenomenon.

Since launch, Palworld has captured attention worldwide for being what many called “Pokémon with guns” with a bold, chaotic alternative to the stale formula Nintendo has stuck to for decades. Oh, and rather than up their game or embrace competition, Nintendo of course chose to go nuclear. They filed a lawsuit in Japan claiming Palworld infringes on three of their patents, these same patents, mind you, that Pocketpair is now challenging for being illegitimate, citing games like Craftopia and others that used similar mechanics long before Nintendo locked them up. Curious...

Nintendo’s not fighting to protect Pokémon at all, lets be real. They’re fighting to eliminate threats. Just like they’ve done with fan games, ROM hacks, and emulators for years. Now they're turning that same scorched-earth playbook on a commercial competitor. As much as I love many Nintendo IP's and games over the years, this is a double edged sword that threatens true organic growth and expansion in the video game industry.

Pocketpair’s latest statement was measured and extremely respectful... maybe even too respectful. They apologized to fans. They spoke of “compromise” and “concern.” But make no mistake: this is a company under attack from all sides by Nintendo's ninjas. A creative team being forced to gut core features of their game just to survive. And for what? Because Nintendo thinks it owns the concept of “throwing a ball to summon a creature”? Nah... This is a bridge too far for me.

The irony is, Palworld’s popularity didn’t come from cloning Pokémon. It came from doing what Nintendo hasn’t had the guts to do (ironically) in years: evolve.

They never added challenge. No new creativity or variety. Palworld took inspiration, like every good game does... and built something new, edgy, and wildly successful. Something gamers actually WANTED. Without stealing their IP.

Nintendo saw that success and panicked.

So now they’re trying to sue Palworld into mediocrity. Strip it of its fun. Dismantle its identity. And ultimately, discourage any other indie studio in the future from ever trying something similar again. Sounds fun, right?

But here’s the kicker: despite the legal attacks, Pocketpair isn’t backing down. They’re still updating the game. Still engaging the community. Still pushing forward. And maybe that’s what terrifies Nintendo most... The fact that Palworld might survive the lawsuit, survive the sabotage, and maybe... emerge stronger than ever before.

Because if Palworld can thrive in a world where Nintendo tries to 'kneecap' them (IYKYK sorry had to), then other developers might start believing they can too.

And that’s the real threat Nintendo wants to KILL!

~Smash