Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have filed a lawsuit against Pocketpair, the developer of *Palworld*, which an intellectual property expert predicts could last up to five years. Florian Mueller, a former Blizzard consultant, shared his thoughts on Twitter, suggesting that this legal battle will not be a simple settlement case.
Mueller believes that Nintendo may be interested in seeing the case drawn out, indicating that it’s more than just a standard patent dispute where the issue could be resolved quickly with financial compensation.
Mueller further elaborates that Pocketpair will not face significant financial difficulties in defending itself against Nintendo. He asserts that the studio, despite being relatively small, has the resources to engage in a prolonged legal conflict. According to Mueller, this case won’t be as costly as the high-profile lawsuits like the one between Epic Games and Apple and Google, which ran into the hundreds of millions of dollars.
At this point, the exact details of the lawsuit remain unclear. Nintendo has accused Pocketpair of infringing on multiple patents, though it has not publicly specified which ones.
Serkan Toto, an analyst who spoke to GamesRadar+, highlights that Nintendo’s legal team is highly formidable within Japan’s gaming industry, which suggests that Nintendo has a strong chance of winning the case based on its track record of legal victories.
While the outcome of the lawsuit remains uncertain, it’s clear that the proceedings could take a considerable amount of time to resolve. Mueller’s comments, if accurate, indicate that the legal battle between Nintendo and Pocketpair might stretch out for years, potentially delaying a conclusion far into the future. The complex nature of patent infringement disputes likely adds to this extended timeline.
In response to the legal action, Pocketpair has made a public statement, pledging to fight for their fans and the wider indie game development community. They expressed their commitment to ensuring that independent developers are not discouraged from pursuing their creative projects. Both sides are now preparing for what could be a lengthy and contentious legal battle.
