Nintendo has responded to Pocketpair's defense in the Palworld patent lawsuit, arguing that the defendant is going overboard by citing mods as "prior art." If accepted, the claim could undermine parts of Pocketpair's strategy to show that Palworld does not infringe on several Nintendo patents.
The ongoing dispute between Pocketpair and Nintendo started in September 2024, when the latter filed a lawsuit alleging Palworld infringes on three of its patents. In April 2025, parts of Pocketpair's defense in the Palworld case became public, revealing that the Japanese studio adopted a dual-defense strategy, challenging the validity of Nintendo's patents while simultaneously claiming non-infringement. To contest validity, Pocketpair cited prior art from commercial games and community mods, including the Pocket Souls mod for Dark Souls 3. Pocket Souls was specifically mentioned as part of an argument that Nintendo did not invent its patented system for aiming a capture item—such as a Poke Ball—and calculating capture chances before determining whether a target is successfully acquired.
In mid-September 2025, Games Fray obtained new court filings that show Nintendo has now responded to parts of Pocketpair's initial defense in the Palworld patent case. The gaming giant's attorneys have specifically taken aim at Pocketpair's...
