A patent request has put the freedom to create games inspired by Pokémon … and nobody will win

What looked like a fun provocation – “Pokémon with weapons” – ended up becoming a real legal battlefield. PalworldThe unexpected phenomenon of Pocketpir has unleashed Nintendo’s fury and the question he has to face could change the future of indie development all over the world. And no, it’s not an exaggeration.

Because in this war there are no heroes: If Pocketpair wins, badly; If you lose, worse. And the fans … we have already lost.

Nintendo Palworld Demand, the process that threatens creative freedom

The thing goes beyond a copy of the creatures. Nintendo did not report visual plagiarismbut for alleged violation of Technical patentsfocused on the mechanics of the game. The most controversial: according to different sources, Nintendo has changed the language of one of his patents in full legal processA movement that has been deleted by desperate and not very ethical.

The change focuses on a phrase on how the characters configure creatures or moving objects. A little for many, but in the context of a millionaire test, it can make the difference between the life and death of an independent study.

Pocketpairwho was born in 2015 in Tokyo, It does not have a tenth of Nintendo’s resources. Still, he is planting. This already says a lot about the fear that has caused his success to Kyoto.

If Nintendo wins, is the competition for Pokémon over?

While Palworld It is based on many sources –Zelda, ARK, Monster Hunter-The similarity with Pokémon It is evident. However, That inspiration should not be punished, but celebrated. Because good games become better when they feel the pressure of a nearby rival.

But if Nintendo gets his judicial victory, what will come will be a creative desert. Studies as cream, creators of Temtemcould stop launching new IPs for fear of retaliations. And this, in the long term, will also end up hitting the giants like Pokémonwhich offers deliveries of flavors for contact for years.

Innovation needs competition. Without it, we would not have jewels like Inzoi or Paraliviwho are forcing The SIMs To wake up. The same goes for Pokémon: Without rivals like PalworldHe will sleep in the laurels.

The impact on indie developers, the real drama

In addition to the result of the process, what is at stake is the message that is launched: If you make a game that remembers too much a famous franchise, you may ruin yourself in court. That idea already floats in the air. And many studies, who were about to go, could take back.

Nintendo’s question sown a dangerous precedent. Even if you lose, The damage to the moral of creatives is already done. Instead of celebrating the competition, it seems that Nintendo has chosen to crush it.

This not only checks Palworld. Games like TUNIC or Impact of genshin They could be the following in the black list if this litigation philosophy extends.

Fans, the great losers of this battle

Players only want one thing: good games. We don’t care if it’s called the bug that captures Bulbasaur or Flamepoch. We want new, exciting, different experiences. And that’s exactly what this judgment is destroying.

Since the question started, Palworld Live with the rope around the neck. And players notice it. The community has launched requests and campaigns for Nintendo to withdraw from the process, but everything indicates that it will continue to the latest consequences.

The real problem is not that Palworld resembles Pokémon. Nintendo behaves as if he were the only one to be able to create something like that.

Palworld vs Pokémon, the last time someone tries?

Regardless of the result, the lesson seems clear: Nobody is sure if you try to compete against a giant. And if Nintendo wins, his control on the market will be even stronger. It will no longer be enough to have new ideas: you will also have to pay for them … or abandon them.

The sector needs games like Palworldnot for what they copy, but for what inspire. But this request can stop that inspiration with a blow. And this has no possible legal defense.

And what do you think? Is Nintendo protecting his inheritance or braking creativity? AND Palworld A shameless copy or a necessary evolution? Whatever happens … the damage is already done.