Gezixuan reported on November 8 that, according to IGN, Pocketpair, the developer of "Phantom Beast Palu", today updated the latest progress on the patent lawsuit filed against it by Nintendo and Pokémon Company.

According to Pocketpair, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company each demanded 5 million yen in compensation (IT House note: currently about 233,000 yuan) and delayed compensation, and sought to ban the release of "Phantom Beast Palu".

Pocketpair confirmed that the patent lawsuit in Japan focuses on the design of capturing Pokémon in a virtual setting, and that the company is alleged to infringe such patents. Earlier this year, Palu the Beast received a huge response after its release on PC and Xbox, and people found that the "Palu" character in it had many similarities with Pokémon, and some even considered it "plagiarism". However, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company chose to respond through patent litigation rather than copyright infringement.

It's worth mentioning that Phantom Beast Palu does contain a mechanic that uses orb-like items to capture monsters, similar to the design of the 2022 Nintendo Switch exclusive Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Another related patent relates to the ability to ride Pokémon, and Palu the Phantom Beast also allows players to ride Palu.

Pocketpair said Nintendo and Pokémon are applying for an injunction and seeking some damages from the time the patent was registered until the lawsuit was filed on September 18, 2024.

Patent experts point out that the lawsuit between Nintendo and The Pokémon Company shows that Palu the Phantom Beast does pose a threat to it, and the game is currently available on Sony's PS5 platform.

Pocket Pair's game, Palu the Phantom Beast, which was released on January 19, surpassed the 10 million player mark in less than two months.