Palworld ditches Pokéball-style summoning mechanic amid Nintendo legal battle

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 as its continues to fight Nintendo and The Pokémon Company’s patent infringement lawsuit.

As detailed in Palworld’s brisk v0.3.11 patch notes, Pocket Pal’s latest update means it’s no longer possible to summon a captured creature to a specific spot by aiming and throwing a Pal Sphere. Instead, Pals are now summoned directly next to players when Pal Spheres are held out. Additionally, the UI reticle is now only displayed while aiming.

Although Pocket Pair is yet to provide a reason for the changes, it’s notable the update arrives amid the studio’s ongoing legal battle with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. Nintendo announced it was suing Pocket Pair for infringement of “multiple” patents back in September, and it was later confirmed the lawsuit is targeting three patents in particular. These primarily cover throwing an object in a specific direction to either summon a battle character or to capture a creature in the field – mechanics Palworld shared with Pokémon at launch.

Nintendo is seeking an injunction against Palworld, as well as a fine of 10m yen (around £50k), and “late payment damages”. However, Pocket Pair has vowed to fight Nintendo’s claims, insisting it would “continue to assert our position in this case through future legal proceedings”. There’s been no official confirmation today’s changes are related to the lawsuit, but Eurogamer has contacted Pocket Pair for comment.

Regardless, Palworld’s development continues, and Pocket Pair has teased it’ll have some sort of presence during this week’s The Game Awards. “You won’t want to miss it!”, the studio wrote in a message shared on social media.