The extent of Nintendo and The Pokémon Company’s patent infringement lawsuit against Pocketpair’s Palworld – initially filed back in September 2024 – has reportedly been adjusted to target only earlier versions of the game.
Referencing publicly available court documents from the Tokyo District Court, Games Fray reports that Nintendo and The Pokémon Company modified the scope of their claims in November 2025. Previously, the lawsuit did not specify particular versions of Palworld, but the updated filing reportedly restricts its claims to older versions of the game.
As a reminder, the lawsuit contends that Palworld violates Japanese Patent No. 7545191, 7493117, and 7528390, with the disagreement reportedly centered on mechanics involving capturing creatures and gliding while riding them. Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are pursuing an injunction against Palworld along with damages totaling 5 million yen plus late-payment interest.
According to both Games Fray and an examination of the civil case records by AUTOMATON’s Japanese editorial team at the Tokyo District Court, the plaintiffs revised the scope of their claims in November 2025 so that they now apply only to older versions of Palworld. This adjustment may be tied to updates Pocketpair implemented after the lawsuit was initiated. In patch v0.3.11, released in November 2024, the developer removed the mechanic allowing players to summon Pals by throwing a Pal Sphere, substituting it with a system where Pals simply appear beside the player. Later, patch v0.5.5 from May 2025 altered how gliding with Pals functions, with players using an item-based glider rather than directly mounting Pals.
When it released this patch, Pocketpair issued a statement explaining the changes. The company stated it remained confident that Palworld does not infringe any of the patents asserted by Nintendo and co, and asserted that the patents in question were invalid to begin with.
At the same time, Pocketpair indicated it had introduced the gameplay changes as precautionary steps to ensure development and distribution of Palworld could proceed regardless of the litigation’s outcome. According to the company, the revisions were meant to further demonstrate that the game does not infringe the alleged patents. In addition to the changes introduced in patches v0.3.11 and v0.5.5, several other mechanics cited in the lawsuit were also modified as preventative measures.
These developments may have influenced Nintendo and The Pokémon Company’s decision to narrow the scope of their claims. While the plaintiffs are still seeking an injunction against Palworld, limiting the lawsuit to older versions of the game seems to lessen the chances that the current version will be directly impacted.
Meanwhile, during Summer Game Fest, Pocketpair announced that Palworld will officially launch on July 10, ending its Early Access period. Court records available at the Tokyo District Court show that a technical briefing is scheduled for October 1, followed by the court’s preliminary disclosure of its stance on November 9. The litigation is therefore expected to continue even after the game’s full release, and its resolution remains to be determined.