Palworld Modders Revive Features After Nintendo Lawsuit

Palworld modders are taking matters into their own hands, restoring game mechanics that developer Pocketpair was forced to remove following a patent lawsuit from Nintendo and The Pokémon Company.

Last week, Pocketpair confirmed that recent game updates were a direct result of the ongoing legal battle with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company.

Palworld launched on Steam for $30 and simultaneously on Xbox and PC Game Pass in early 2024, shattering sales and concurrent player records. Pocketpair's CEO, Takuro Mizobe, revealed that the game's massive success generated such substantial profits that the studio struggled to handle the financial windfall. To capitalize on this breakout hit, Pocketpair moved quickly, securing a partnership with Sony to establish Palworld Entertainment, a new business unit dedicated to expanding the intellectual property. The game later launched on PS5.

Following Palworld's explosive debut, many drew comparisons between its Pals and Pokémon, with some critics accusing Pocketpair of copying Pokémon's designs. Instead of pursuing a copyright infringement case, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company opted for a patent lawsuit. The companies are seeking 5 million yen (approximately $32,846) each, along with compensation for delayed payments and an injunction to halt Palworld's distribution.

In November, Pocketpair acknowledged the three Japanese patents central to the lawsuit, which cover the mechanics of capturing creatures in a virtual environment. Palworld originally featured a system where players throw a ball-like device, called a Pal Sphere, at creatures in the wild to capture them—a mechanic reminiscent of the one found in the 2022 Nintendo Switch title Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

Six months later, Pocketpair released an update admitting that recent alterations to the game were prompted by legal pressure. The company confirmed that Patch v0.3.11, launched in November 2024, was a direct consequence of the litigation, as players had speculated. This update removed the ability to summon Pals by throwing Pal Spheres, replacing it with a stationary summon beside the player. Several other game mechanics were also adjusted in this patch.

Pocketpair stated that failing to implement these changes would have "resulted in a significantly worse gameplay experience for players."

The developer also disclosed that last week’s Patch v0.5.5 introduced further modifications, requiring players to use a glider item for gliding instead of relying on Pals. While Pals in the player's party continue to provide passive gliding bonuses, players must now carry a glider in their inventory to glide.

Pocketpair described these adjustments as "compromises" the studio is compelled to make to avoid a potential injunction that could halt Palworld's development and sales.

Now, just one week later, modders have reintroduced the gliding feature. As reported by Dexerto, Primarinabee's Glider Restoration mod, available on Nexus Mods, reverses the changes from the recent update.

"Palworld Patch 0.5.5? What? That never happened!" the mod description jokes.

"For those who love soaring through the skies with their Pals, this mod cleverly reinstates the gliding feature that was subtly removed," it explains. "You'll still need a glider in your inventory, and it's not entirely perfect, but it effectively negates Patch 0.5.5 without preventing you from receiving future game updates."

Primarinabee's Glider Restoration mod was released on May 10 and has already been downloaded hundreds of times.

As for restoring the throw-to-release mechanic for Pals, a similar mod exists, though it doesn't fully replicate the pre-patch functionality (it omits the ball-throwing animation and instead summons the Pal at your cursor's location).

The question now is how long the Glider Restoration mod will remain accessible, given the ongoing lawsuit.

At the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in March, IGN conducted an in-depth interview with John "Bucky" Buckley, Pocketpair's Communications Director and Publishing Manager for Palworld.

The conversation followed his conference presentation, 'Community Management Summit: A Palworld Roller Coaster: Surviving the Drop.' During his talk, Buckley openly discussed the numerous challenges Palworld faced, including allegations of using generative AI (which Pocketpair has since thoroughly refuted) and stealing Pokémon's models for its Pals (a claim the original accuser has since withdrawn). He also shared insights on Nintendo's patent lawsuit against the studio, noting that it "came as a shock" and was "something no one had anticipated."