Japan’s Nintendo said Thursday it has filed a lawsuit accusing the developer of a video game jokingly dubbed “Pokemon with guns” of patent infringement.
Nintendo and The Pokemon Company are suing Pocketpair, the Japan-based studio behind the “Palworld” game that became a viral hit when its prototype was released in January.
“Palworld” — which sold more than five million copies in just three days — features weapon-wielding player avatars and monsters that look similar to the creatures of Nintendo’s wildly popular “Pokemon” franchise.
A Nintendo statement said the companies had “filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the Tokyo District Court against Pocketpair” on Wednesday.
“This lawsuit seeks an injunction against infringement and compensation for damages on the grounds that Palworld… infringes multiple patent rights,” it said.
