Ever since Palworld skyrocketed in popularity due to its similarities to the Pokémon franchise and dark twist with guns, the game developed by Pocketpair has been surrounded by plenty of buzz and debate — and now has caught the attention of a legendary figure in the industry.
Yoshiki Okamoto, the veteran Japanese developer behind huge hits like Street Fighter and Resident Evil, didn’t hold back in a recent video, urging fans “not to buy Palworld” and claiming the game has “crossed a line that shouldn’t be crossed”.
If you don’t know Okamoto, he is a former Capcom developer who has almost four decades of experience in the gaming industry. He has already worked as a game designer, producer, executive producer, and supervisor, and has more than 140 games credited to his name, including all-time classics like Final Fight, Street Fighter II, Resident Evil 2, Dino Crisis, Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages (yes, this one really happened), and Devil May Cry 2.
Now, in a recent YouTube video, Okamoto shared his thoughts on the Palworld case, stating that he thinks that Nintendo is perfectly right in filing a lawsuit against the game.
“[Palworld] is currently a game that’s being sued, so it’s unacceptable”, he says (thanks for translating it, IGN). “Palworld crossed a line that should not be crossed, and I don’t want the world to become a place where this kind of thing is acceptable”.
He goes on further, asking players not to buy the game, or they would be supporting this type of situation. “By playing the game, you are supporting it, so please don’t buy it”.
In addition, Okamoto admits that he has never played Palworld and has no intention of doing so, having only watched videos about it. The Japanese developer also expresses concern that a possible legal victory for Pocketpair against Nintendo could set a dangerous precedent, making future patent infringements more acceptable. You can watch his full video right below.
Players’ reaction to the video was quite divisive. Many criticized Okamoto’s position, arguing that his statements are premature and that even games he helped create borrowed elements from other titles and franchises.
Meanwhile, the Palworld lawsuit still has no end in sight and continues at full speed. It all began on September 18th, 2024, when Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed a patent infringement lawsuit against PocketPair due to the striking similarities between the game and the Pokémon franchise.
In the most recent updates to the case, Palworld significantly changed how the glider works (since it was one of the features targeted by the lawsuit), and Nintendo secured a patent for character summoning.
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