Pokémon legal chief speaks out about plagiarism – but millions have still bought the ‘copied’ game

EVERYONE is talking about Palworld at the moment, whether that’s because they are playing, or because they hate it.

While the gameplay is more of a survival crafting game than anything Pokémon has produced, the beast designs are definitely suspicious.

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An anonymous Twitter user has overlapped the models of some of the Palworld Pals with Pokémon models and the proportions and scale are scarily similar.

Aside from the outward similarities to certain Pokémon, the exactness with which certain design elements match has people concerned about plagiarism.

The model comparisons are not solid proof that the Palworld team used Pokémon models in their designs, but it is the most compelling evidence so far.

Speaking to Game File, a former Chief Legal Officer for The Pokémon Company has spoken out about the game.

Don McGowan led Pokémon’s legal team for 12 years from 2008 until 2020.

They say: “This looks like the usual ripoff nonsense that I would see a thousand times a year when I was Chief Legal Officer of Pokémon.

“I’m just surprised it got this far.”

It’s true that there are thousands of Pokémon clones out there, and many of them are advertised on YouTube and available via Google Play and the App Store.

While these games are free to play, they have in-game purchases and make money from this.

These games also directly rip off Pokémon’s designs, copying them directly and even using very similar names.

However, none of these games have gained the popularity of Palworld, which is one of the most popular titles ever to hit Steam.

With concurrent players surpassing 1.5million, it is the third most-played game of all time on the platform.

For Palworld’s part, a representative for the company, Takuro Mizobe, has denied any wrongdoing.

It is also claimed that the artists are receiving harassment and threats over the controversy.

The Pokémon Company has not commented on Palworld, and there seems to be no intention of bringing a lawsuit against the company.

If you want to read more about the game, check out our Palworld review.
Written by Georgina Young on behalf of GLHF.