Modders are stepping in to bring back features in Palworld that were removed due to legal pressure from Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. Last week, Pocketpair acknowledged that recent updates to the game were influenced by ongoing litigation. Following the initial launch of Palworld—priced at $30 on Steam and included in Xbox and PC Game Pass in early 2024—sales and concurrent player numbers soared. Despite the financial success, Pocketpair struggled to manage the influx, leading to a partnership with Sony to create Palworld Entertainment, aimed at expanding the franchise. Subsequent releases included the PS5 version.
Following the game’s launch, comparisons to Pokémon sparked controversy, prompting Nintendo and The Pokémon Company to pursue a patent infringement case. They are seeking monetary compensation and an injunction against Palworld. Pocketpair confirmed three patents related to capturing creatures in a virtual field, specifically referencing the mechanics in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
Patch v0.3.11, released in November 2024, altered gameplay by removing the ability to summon Pals via throwing Pal Spheres, replacing it with a static summon mechanic. Additional changes were introduced in Patch v0.5.5, eliminating gliding through Pals in favor of using a glider. While Pals still provide passive bonuses during glides, players must now possess a glider to glide.
Despite these modifications, modders have taken action. A mod named Glider Restoration, created by Primarinabee and available on Nexus Mods, restores gliding functionality through Pals. The mod bypasses the latest patch without preventing future updates. Released on May 10, it has gained significant traction among users.
A separate mod aims to restore the original Pal Sphere mechanic, though it lacks the ball-throwing animation and instead spawns Pals at the player's location.
The future of these mods remains uncertain as the legal battle continues. At GDC 2024, IGN interviewed John “Bucky” Buckley, Pocketpair’s communications director, who discussed various challenges faced by the studio, including the allegations of AI misuse and model theft, which the company has since refuted. Buckley noted the patent lawsuit was unexpected and described it as a difficult situation for the team.
