Since the successful launch of Palworld on Steam and Xbox, plagiarism accusations against the developers have been increasing. They are said to have taken too much inspiration from Pokémon, especially in terms of monster design. Now, the chief developer has responded to the allegations in a statement, stating that he and his team have even received death threats.
What is the accusation against the developers? Palworld is a resounding success. The survival game reminds many players of the Pokémon series. This is primarily due to the design of the small and large monsters, which can serve as allies in the game but also as tasty snacks.
Especially on X (formerly Twitter), the discussion has heated up. Many designs from Pokémon have been compared to those from Palworld. One X user even superimposed 3D models (via X) and concluded that the Palworld developers have used the same proportions for their monsters as Nintendo has for its Pokémon.
An anonymous developer of a non-specified AAA game also told VGC that it is not possible to accidentally use the same proportions. Thus, the plagiarism accusations are not entirely unfounded.
The allegations have put the Palworld developers in a position where they need to explain themselves. Now they have responded.
The game also engages the animal rights organization PETA, similar to Pokémon.
The CEO dismisses the allegations
What do the developers say about the allegations? The CEO of Pocket Pair, Takuro Mizobe, addresses the accusations in an interview with the Japanese website Automaton Media. He initially explains how Palworld came into being:
At the beginning of Palworld was the idea: Can we add the element of collecting and breeding monsters to the genre of open-world survival crafting games? While we refer to Pokémon as a big predecessor, you will find that when playing Palworld, it is completely different from Pokémon. I even believe that the game mechanics are closer to ARK: Survival Evolved.
Takuro Mizobe via Automaton Media
Mizobe further states that he believes the survival game genre goes back to Minecraft. It was the fundamental game. Together with other games like Terraria, The Forest, or ARK, it inspired Palworld.
Mizobe wants to avoid the comparison with Pokémon. He states:
I personally find Pokémon so great that I hesitate to compare it with Palworld.
Takuro Mizobe via Automaton Media
From a legal perspective, the game is clean. So far, neither Nintendo nor other companies have initiated legal action against Pocket Pair.
Mizobe states:
We take our games very seriously and have absolutely no intention of infringing on the intellectual property of other companies.
Takuro Mizobe via Automaton Media
The developers of Palworld even received death threats
How are the developers doing in light of the allegations? The plagiarism accusations are one thing, but the team around Takuro Mizobe is currently experiencing a wave of hate, which the CEO addresses in a statement (via X).
The team has received numerous threats. Mizobe explains:
We are currently receiving defamatory comments against our artists, and we are seeing tweets that resemble death threats.
Takuro Mizobe via X
As CEO, he is responsible for production. Therefore, Mizobe defends his team and finally addresses the opponents of the game with the remark:
I would appreciate it if you would refrain from defaming the artists involved with Palworld.
Takuro Mizobe via X
We can only hope that the debate continues in a constructive manner. Regardless of the controversy, Palworld continues to achieve great success. The game is currently breaking one record after another.
