Palworld Is A Hit, But Are They Copying Pokemon?

Palworld is hitting the gaming world by storm. However, wherever there is success, there is bound to be controversy. Despite surpassing 7 million units in sales in under five days, many believe that Palworld’s success is not earned. Since the Palworld release date on January 19, 2024, some have quickly screamed plagiarism. This is due to the obvious similarities to Pokemon. Whenever you create a game that is centered around Animals fighting each other, you are bound to hit similarities. The idea of Pokemon is so iconic that other games and anime will always be compared to it. This is not to ignore the obvious similarities. Cleary Palworld took inspiration from Pokemon. In fact, I would argue that Palworld is a clear satirical take on it.

Not only are some animals shockingly similar to Pokemon, but they also say the quiet part out loud. For years now, it has always been understood that Pokemon had darker undertones. Catching animals and making them fight each other can be considered messed up. In addition, the only animals that exist in anime and games are Pokemon. Thus, there are bound to be a few people snacking on a Pikachu. If you are a carnivore, guess where your meat comes from. Now, obviously, I am not completely serious and joking around a bit. However, Palworld says the quiet parts out loud. They allow you to kill the animals and even eat them.

Will Nintendo Sue Palworld

As stated, the similarities of the animals cannot be denied. Neither can the capturing and battling system. However, Palworld is a very different game and concept to Pokemon. There is a high survival and rating element to this game. The fact is that similarities will always exist. Despite knowing this, many are calling on Nintendo to sue Palworld for what they deem to be a ripoff. However, it is unlikely that Nintendo will go to this extent. They did not go after other creations, such as Digimon, and they will likely follow that same trend here.

Right now, Palworld is taking the world by storm. They are the first big hit of 2024, and based on sales numbers, they might be one of the biggest all year. The success of this game is quite unexpected. However, since we are on the topic of Plagiarism, let’s take a look at the response the CEO of the game gave when he addressed the accusations on X. He stated,

“We are currently receiving abusive and defamatory comments against our artists, in addition to tweets that appear to be death threats.” “While we have received various opinions about Palworld, it is important to note that the supervision of all materials related to Palworld is conducted by a team, including myself. I bear the responsibility for the produced materials. I would appreciate it if these comments towards artists involved in Palworld would cease.”

The Similarities Assessed By Experts

However, the accusations continued when another Twitter user showed on Twitter that there was a direct 1 to 1 comparison between many of the creator models. One expert told VGA, “You cannot, in any way, accidentally get the same proportions on multiple models from another game without ripping the models. Or at the very least, tracing them meticulously first.” “I would stand in court to testify as an expert on this.”

They go on to say in the interview that not even in sequels of games does the recreating of existing models overlap this much. However, despite this, for many, there is enough of a difference in the gameplay. Due to this, millions of people continue to play.

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