When Palworld’s first trailer dropped in 2021, the Pokémon comparisons couldn’t escape them with nearly everyone calling it “Pokémon with guns.” Unfortunately for developers Pocketpair, Inc., the game has landed them in hot water with two major companies.

Today, Nintendo and The Pokemon Company have announced they’ve filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Pocketpair, Inc. Earlier this year, The Pokemon Company stated they were launching an investigation into any similarities between their franchise and Palworld. A statement from Nintendo reads:

Nintendo Co., Ltd. (HQ: Kyoto, Minami-ku, Japan; Representative Director and President: Shuntaro Furukawa, “Nintendo” hereafter), together with The Pokémon Company, filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the Tokyo District Court against Pocketpair, Inc. (HQ: 2-10-2 Higashigotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, “Defendant” hereafter) on September 18, 2024.

This lawsuit seeks an injunction against infringement and compensation for damages on the grounds that Palworld, a game developed and released by the Defendant, infringes multiple patent rights.

Nintendo will continue to take necessary actions against any infringement of its intellectual property rights including the Nintendo brand itself, to protect the intellectual properties it has worked hard to establish over the years.

Released in early access earlier this year, Palworld managed to sell 10 million copies on Steam.