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The Pokémon Company is investigating Palworld after plagiarism suspicions

By Tomas Franzese Updated February 16, 2024

Three sheep-like Pals use guns in Palworld. — Pocketpair

The Pokémon Company finally put out a statement addressing the similarities between the designs of some creatures from its namesake franchise and Pocketpair’s viral monster-collecting survival crafting game Palworld. The company says it is investigating the matter.

Pocketpair’s Palworld has been this month’s surprise gaming hit, selling over 8 million copies in less than a week. While its survival crafting gameplay is quite different from the turn-based RPG stylings of Pokémon, Palworld has still garnered a reputation as “Pokémon with guns” ever since its reveal, and comparisons have only continued since its early access launch on January 19. Now, The Pokémon Company says it’s investigating the game after players pointed out similarities between Palworld and Pokémon’s creatures.

“We have received many inquiries regarding another company’s game released in January 2024. We have not granted any permission for the use of Pokémon intellectual property or assets in that game,” The Pokémon Company said in a statement on its corporate website on Thursday. “We intend to investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to the Pokémon. We will continue to cherish and nurture each and every Pokémon and its world, and work to bring the world together through Pokémon in the future.”

As is typically the case with anything that gets this popular, lots of discourse and intense scrutiny followed. In particular, people have claimed that Pocketpair ripped off or plagiarized both fan-made and actual Pokémon designs, with some theorizing that AI tools could’ve been used.

Although that’s all just speculation at this time, it’s clear that some of the visual similarities between Pals and Pokémon have caught the attention of The Pokémon Company, who have decided that this is an issue worth investigating further.

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Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…

Gaming

How to breed Pals in Palworld

A pal base with a farm and bath.

Your Pals may look a little too close to Pokemon in some instances in Palworld, but they do have some important mechanical differences. Yes, they all have elemental types that give them advantages over other Pals, just like a pocket monster, but your Pals can't and won't evolve just by battling and earning XP. Instead, the only way to get new and improved Pals outside of catching higher-level ones in the wild is through breeding. However, Pals aren't all that keen on producing offspring without you setting up the right conditions first. If you don't know what will get your Pals in the mood, it may be impossible to guess. Let's talk birds and bees with a full breakdown of how breeding works in Palworld.
How to breed Pals

Pals aren't just going to breed without privacy, requiring you to build a special Breeding Farm. This will unlock once you hit level 19 and shows up in the Technology section of your menu. It costs 100 Wood, 50 Fiber, and 20 Stones to construct. Build it up and place it in your base. But wait, Pals are a bit more romantic than that. Sure, the farm is great, but you need something more to sweeten the deal -- a cake. Cakes require 5 Flour, 8 Red berries, 7 Milk, 8 Eggs, and 2 Honey to create, and you will need plenty of cakes, so make sure to gather as much as you can.

Gaming

Palworld type chart: How elemental types work in Palworld

A Tocotoco in Palworld.

Many people refer to Palworld as Pokémon with guns, but that's selling the game short. Sure, you can and will use a host of firearms to fight Pals, but the Pals themselves also have types just like their pocket monster counterparts. And just like in the game that inspired it, Pal types play a huge role in which ones are more effective against the others. Some elemental weakness will be obvious, but the system does work slightly differently than that you might be used to. Here is how elemental types work in Palworld and how all the types interact.
How types work in Palworld

Right off the bat, Palworld has nine different types. Unlike Pokémon, though, each type (with the exception of fire and neutral) is only weak and strong against one other type. That means each Pal will only be weak to one specific element, but since Pals can learn moves from other elements, they can be effective against multiple types. Here are all the types, what they're strong against, and what they are weak against.

Gaming

Is Palworld cross-platform?

A Tocotoco in Palworld.

Palworld, the new creature-collecting survival game that fans have dubbed "Pokémon with guns," has become a viral hit on launch day. With Pokémon being a Nintendo console-exclusive franchise (and one of the most successful video game franchises of all time), it's no surprise that gamers who stick to other platforms are eager for the chance to capture and battle with oddball creatures in an open-world setting.

The jury is still out on whether Palworld is going to last or if its launch day sales figures are the result of it becoming a Pokémon clone meme since it was announced. Regardless, now is the best time to jump in while everyone else is learning about the world. You don't want to fall behind.