Palworld developer Pocket Pair has released an update for the creature-catching survival game, removing the ability to summon creatures by throwing Pokéball-style Pal Spheres, all while continuing to fight a patent infringement lawsuit from Nintendo and The Pokémon Company .
As detailed in Palworld’s energetic v0.3.11 patch notes, Pocket Pal’s latest update means it’s no longer possible to summon a captured creature to a specific location by aiming and throwing a Pal sphere. Instead, friends are now summoned directly to the players’ side when friend spheres are displayed. Additionally, the UI reticle is now only displayed when aiming.
Although Pocket Pair has yet to provide a reason for the changes, it is notable that the update arrives amid the studio’s ongoing legal battle with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. Nintendo announced it would sue Pocket Pair for infringement of “multiple” patents in September, and it was later confirmed that the lawsuit targets three patents in particular. These mainly cover throwing an object in a specific direction to summon a battle character or capture a creature on the field – mechanics that Palworld shared with Pokémon at launch.
Nintendo is seeking an injunction against Palworld, as well as a fine of 10 million yen (around £50,000) and “damages for late payments”. However, Pocket Pair has vowed to fight Nintendo’s claims, insisting that it would “continue to assert our position in this case through future legal proceedings.” There has been no official confirmation that today’s changes are related to the lawsuit, but Eurogamer has contacted Pocket Pair for comment.
Anyway, development on Palworld continues and Pocket Pair has teased that it will have some kind of presence during this week’s The game Awards. “You don’t want to miss it!” the studio wrote in a message shared on social media.
