Nintendo Lawsuit May Hinder Palworld’s PS5 Release in Japan

The PS5 release of Palworld, the monster-catching survival game by developer Pocketpair, has been postponed indefinitely in Japan.

This delay comes despite the game launching on PlayStation consoles across 68 countries and regions yesterday, as announced during Sony’s recent State of Play broadcast.

The delay in the Japanese release was confirmed by Pocketpair’s official social media channels. In a post shared early this morning on X (formerly Twitter), the company apologized to fans in Japan, stating that the local release date “has not yet been decided.”

＜PS5版『Palworld / パルワールド』について＞
PlayStation公式『State of Play』にて発表があった通り、PS5版『Palworld / パルワールド』が本日、全世界68の国と地域で発売されました。… https://t.co/BNzS18XBYK

— パルワールド/Palworld 公式 (@Palworld_JP) September 24, 2024

The post also reassured players that the team is working hard to bring the game to Japanese PS5 users as soon as possible, though no timeline was provided.

While no official reason for the delay was given, the ongoing lawsuit filed by Nintendo against Pocketpair may be a contributing factor. The lawsuit, filed in Tokyo last week, accuses Pocketpair of infringing on patents related to Nintendo’s Pokémon franchise, particularly regarding the mechanics of capturing creatures using “Pokéball”-like mechanics.

Palworld, often dubbed “Pokémon with guns” for its mix of creature-taming and combat elements, has already been available in Japan on other platforms, including Xbox Series X and PC. However, the unresolved legal dispute with Nintendo may be affecting its PlayStation debut in the region.

While Pocketpair has stated they are unaware of the specific patents they are accused of violating, the legal process could be lengthy. Industry experts speculate that the case may extend for years, leaving the PS5 release in Japan uncertain for the foreseeable future.

In other legal news in gaming, film production company Stellarblade LLC recently filed a lawsuit against Sony and Shift Up for trademark infringement over the name “Stellar Blade.”