Palworld, the action-adventure game developed by Pocketpair, has officially launched on PlayStation 5, following a surprise announcement during Sony’s recent State of Play event. However, the game is notably absent from the Japanese market due to an ongoing patent infringement lawsuit filed by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company against the developer.
While Palworld is now available on PlayStation platforms in 68 countries and regions, Japan has not yet seen its release. According to a statement from the game’s official Japanese account on X (formerly Twitter), the release date in Japan “has not yet been decided.” The post did not specify whether the legal dispute with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company was the cause, but the timing suggests a potential connection.
Palworld gained widespread attention earlier this year, with many describing it as “Pokémon with guns.” Initially released in Early Access for Xbox and PC in January, the game quickly became a hit, selling over a million copies within eight hours of its launch. Within a month, it had reached 25 million players. Microsoft’s Game Pass platform reported Palworld as having the largest debut for a third-party title in its history.
Legal Action Against Palworld
Despite the game’s success, The Pokémon Company began investigating Palworld shortly after its release, raising concerns over potential patent violations. Last week, both Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed a lawsuit against Pocketpair, seeking an injunction against the game and compensation for damages. The lawsuit alleges that Palworld infringes on multiple patent rights related to The Pokémon Company’s intellectual property.
Pocketpair responded to the lawsuit on September 19, stating that they had been notified of the legal action and would begin “the appropriate legal proceedings and investigations” regarding the claims. However, the developer also noted that they were not aware of the specific patents they are accused of infringing upon and had not received detailed information on the matter.
While the PS5 version of Palworld is available to players in other regions, the game’s indefinite delay in Japan raises questions about its future there, given the ongoing legal conflict. The timing of the global release on PS5, just days after the lawsuit was filed, has also sparked attention.
For now, players in 68 regions can access Palworld on PlayStation platforms, but the situation in Japan remains unresolved, pending further developments in the legal proceedings.
