Palworld Releases New Patch with Changes in Gliding; Confirms Changes Related to Patent Infringement Lawsuit
Pocketpair released the Patch v0.5.5 for its Palworld game on Thursday. Along with the patch release, the company posted a statement regarding the patent infringement lawsuit it is facing, and confirmed that recent changes in the game have been a result of the ongoing litigation. Starting from the new patch, the gliding in the game will be perfomed using a glider instead of with Pals, requiring players to have a glider in their inventory. Pals in the player's team will still provide passive buffs to gliding.Pocketpair stated that it is still involved in prolonged legal proceedings because of the patent infringement lawsuit. The company added that it continues to dispute the patent infringement claims and assert the invalidity of the patents in question. But with this, the company had to "make certain compromises in order to avoid disruptions to the development and distribution" of the Palworld game. The company confirmed speculations that changes in the game with the release of Patch v0.3.11 on November 30 were due to the ongoing litigation. In Patch v0.3.11, the ability to summon Pals by throwing Pal Spheres was removed, and changed into a static summon next to the player. Pocketpair expressed its disappointment with the adjustment, but it determined that the change was necessary, as the alternative would have "led to an even greater deterioration of the gameplay experience."The same goes with the changes in Patch v0.5.5, but the company asked for players' understanding that the changes are necessary to prevent further disruptions to the game's development.Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are "seeking an injunction against the game and compensation for a portion of the damages incurred between the date of registration of the patents and the date of filing of this lawsuit." Both companies are seeking 5 million yen (about US$32,700) plus late payment damages for compensation.The first target patent, Patent No. 7545191, relates to aiming an object toward a character. In other words, it refers to aiming a Pokéball at a Pokémon to initiate combat. The second patent, Patent No. 7493117, involves catching a character, specifically creature, in a field setting. The third relevant patent is Patent No. 7528390, which centers on riding the creatures.Pocketpair debuted its Palworld multiplayer survival game in January 2024 as a Steam Early Access game. The game reached 25 million users within a month of its release.Pocketpair launched Palworld on PS5 in 68 countries and territories on September 25, but Pocketpair later stated the game would not launch for PS5 in Japan on that same day. The game was eventually released in Japan for PS5 on October 4. The game launched for macOS on March 4.The game's update in late March allowed players from different platforms to be able to connect with and play with each other, and it also enabled world transfer for Pals.Sony Music Entertainment Japan Inc. and its subsidiary Aniplex, along with Pocketpair, established a new joint venture named Palworld Entertainment in July 2024.South Korean game developer Krafton signed a licensing agreement with Pocketpair for the IP (intellectual property) to expand the game's IP to the mobile platform.Source: Palworld game's English X/Twitter account via My Game News Flash
