The new Forza Horizon 6 is set in Japan and places great emphasis on Japanese culture. There was still a jab at Nintendo and Pokémon.
How does the game make fun of Pokémon? In Forza Horizon 6, you can listen to various in-game radio stations while driving through Japan. On one of these radio stations, Hospital Records, the two radio hosts make fun of Nintendo and their legal stance regarding Pokémon.
One of the hosts says in the English voiceover: “Grab your camera and snap ’em all,” which translates to “Take your camera and photograph them all.” This is a reference to the well-known slogan of Pokémon: “Gotta catch ’em all”.
This is reinforced by the response of the second host: “That’s like that Japanese collectible game we can’t mention for legal reasons.”
What does this have to do with Palworld? The conversation between the two hosts is a humorous nod to Nintendo’s legal stance regarding Pokémon.
Nintendo has a reputation among gamers for taking legal action whenever Pokémon or another brand of the Japanese company is mentioned. In recent years – particularly during the development of Forza Horizon 6 – Nintendo’s legal battle with Palworld captured the gaming world’s attention.
On September 18, 2024, Nintendo filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Pocketpair, the developer of Palworld, in Japan. It stated that the game infringes several of Nintendo’s patent rights. These patents are meant to protect specific game mechanics found in Pokémon games.
Pokémon holds a significant place in modern Japanese culture. This was also noted by MeinMMO author Max Handwerk, when he was at the Pokémon World Championship in Yokohama in 2023. A year later, he reflected on his trip and described the event in Japan as the paradise for all Pokémon lovers.
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