You may recall that Nintendo had filed a lawsuit against Palworld developer Pocketpair, claiming that the game infringes on multiple patents. As a result of the ongoing lawsuit, Pocketpair has decided to change some of the mechanics in the game. In a recent blog post, the developer acknowledged the frustration from players over the changes, but explained that the changes are necessary to prevent further disruptions to the game’s development.
The first of these changes was made last November, when Patch v0.3.11 removed the ability to throw Pal Spheres to summon captured creatures, as it resembled an existing mechanic in the Pokemon franchise. While replacing the throwing mechanic with a static summon was a change that disappointed many players, Pocketpair asserted that the change was needed as the alternative would have caused a greater deterioration in the gameplay experience.
The second change, which arrived with Patch v0.5.5, involves the game’s gliding mechanic. Starting from this patch, players can no longer glide using Pals and need to use a glider instead. Pals will still be able to provide passive buffs to gliding, but players are now required to have a glider in their inventory.
Pocketpair confirmed that these changes are compromises made due to the ongoing lawsuit and apologised to fans for the discomfort and concern the situation has caused. It is unclear if there will be more changes to Palworld in the future due to the lawsuit, but the removal of Pal gliding should mean that the developer has addressed all the concerns regarding the patents. Whether this is enough to satisfy Nintendo remains to be seen.
(Source: Pocketpair)
