GamesSurvivalPalworldGame developers aren’t really buying the ‘similarities’ between Palworld and Pokemon: “To ‘accidentally’ create a complex model mesh with so near-exact proportions is practically impossible”When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesSurvivalPalworldGame developers aren’t really buying the ‘similarities’ between Palworld and Pokemon: “To ‘accidentally’ create a complex model mesh with so near-exact proportions is practically impossible”When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Pocketpair)
Since Palworld launched in Early Access last week, the survival game has frequently drawn comparisons to Pokemon for various reasons—some of the initial focus of comparisons focused on thesimilarities in several creature designs. While several Pals and ‘mons look alike, the prevailing sentiment was thatsome homework was likely copied, butlegal trouble was unlikely to follow– you can’t copyright a sheep, after all.
This “pal” from #Palword seems like it was probably a rip of serperior and primarina from #Pokemon pic.twitter.com/g8L8vBjbDGJanuary 21, 2024
This “pal” from #Palword seems like it was probably a rip of serperior and primarina from #Pokemon pic.twitter.com/g8L8vBjbDGJanuary 21, 2024
“To ‘accidentally’ create a complex model mesh with so near-exact proportions is practically impossible,” former Blizzard and PlayStation developer Eric Covingtonsays. “To repeat that improbability throughout your roster… doesn’t pass the sniff test.”
Covington goes on to say that his thread isn’t to “aim pitchforks” at the Palworld team but to provide a cautionary tale to those entering the industry. “Please do not cut corners,” theysay. “You increase the risk to your project, your company, and the credibility of your teammates and peers.”
A FormerUbisoftand Detective Pikachu concept artistaddsthat “it’s pretty hard to argue that this is just ‘taking inspiration.'” When asked why Pokemon or Nintendo hasn’t taken legal action yet, as Palworld has been in the public eye for years, theysay: “Until seeing these models match so closely(which [The Pokemon Company] would only see upon release), I was also under the impression it was just a parody so they would be safe. This seems to be crossing the line from parody to actual infringement if they did actually use model rips as a base.”
VGChas spoken to two other experienced AAA game artists, with one of them saying, “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,” before adding: “I would stand in court to testify as an expert on this.”
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At the time of writing, the CEO of Palworld developer PocketPair hasshot down the legal concerns, saying, “We have absolutely no intention of infringing upon the intellectual property of other companies.” Takuro Mizobe also says he’sseen death threatsand has asked people not to slander the artists working on the survival game.
Nintendo, meanwhile, hassaidthat it’s aware of Palworld’s existence – in case you really doubted that – but said it wouldn’t be commenting on “individual cases.” As perGame File, That doesn’t apply to former staffers, though, with a former head ofThe Pokemon Company’s legal teamsayingit “looks like the usual ripoff nonsense that I would see a thousand times a year when I was Chief Legal Officer of Pokémon. I’m just surprised it got this far.”
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Palworld drops a massive update that further distances the survival game from Pokemon following the Nintendo lawsuit, and fans couldn’t be more proud: “Justice for Palworld”
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
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1
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3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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