Palworld Modders Reinstate Features Removed Amid Nintendo, Pokémon Patent Dispute

Palworld modders are independently restoring gameplay features that Pocketpair was compelled to remove due to a patent lawsuit from Nintendo and The Pokémon Company.

Last week, Pocketpair acknowledged that recent game updates included changes mandated by the ongoing legal battle with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company.

Palworld debuted on Steam for $30 and on Game Pass for Xbox and PC in early 2024, shattering sales and concurrent player records. Pocketpair’s CEO, Takuro Mizobe, noted that the game’s massive success brought in profits the studio struggled to manage. Capitalizing on this, Pocketpair partnered with Sony to establish Palworld Entertainment, a venture focused on expanding the IP, and later released the game on PS5.

Following Palworld’s explosive launch, comparisons surfaced between its Pals and Pokémon, with some alleging Pocketpair copied Pokémon designs. Instead of pursuing a copyright claim, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed a patent lawsuit, seeking 5 million yen (roughly $32,846) each, plus damages for late payments, and an injunction to halt Palworld’s release.

In November, Pocketpair disclosed the three Japan-based patents at the heart of the lawsuit, which involve capturing creatures in a virtual environment. Palworld’s original mechanic allowed players to throw a Pal Sphere to capture monsters in a field, resembling the system in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, a 2022 Nintendo Switch exclusive.

Six months later, Pocketpair confirmed that Patch v0.3.11, released in November 2024, stemmed from legal pressures, as players had suspected. This update eliminated the ability to throw Pal Spheres to summon Pals, replacing it with a static summon beside the player, alongside other gameplay alterations.

Pocketpair explained that without these changes, Palworld risked “a significantly worse gameplay experience” for players.

In last week’s Patch v0.5.5, Pocketpair further modified Palworld, requiring players to use a glider for gliding instead of relying on Pals. While Pals in the player’s team still offer passive gliding buffs, a glider must now be in the inventory.

Pocketpair described these adjustments as “compromises” driven by the threat of an injunction that could stop Palworld’s development and sales.

Just a week later, modders restored the original gliding mechanic. According to Dexerto, Primarinabee’s Glider Restoration mod, available on Nexus Mods, undoes the changes introduced in Patch v0.5.5.

“Palworld Patch 0.5.5? Never heard of it!” the mod’s description declares.

“For those who love soaring with their Pals, this mod cleverly reverses the removal of gliding Pals,” it adds. “You’ll still need a glider in your inventory, and it’s not flawless, but it effectively undoes Patch 0.5.5 without sacrificing future updates.”

Released on May 10, Primarinabee’s Glider Restoration mod has already garnered hundreds of downloads.

A mod partially restoring the throw-to-release Pal mechanic exists, but it lacks the original ball-throwing animation, instead summoning Pals at the player’s point of focus.

The longevity of the Glider Restoration mod remains uncertain as the lawsuit continues.

At the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in March, IGN conducted an in-depth interview with John “Bucky” Buckley, Pocketpair’s communications director and publishing manager.

Following his GDC talk, ‘Community Management Summit: A Palworld Roller Coaster: Surviving the Drop,’ Buckley openly discussed Palworld’s challenges, including accusations of using generative AI (which Pocketpair has firmly refuted) and copying Pokémon models (a claim later retracted by its originator). He also addressed Nintendo’s patent lawsuit, describing it as an unexpected blow that “no one anticipated.”