Palworld continues to make headlines, and once again there is a connection to Pokémon. After developer Pocketpair announced its own trading card game, there was excitement as well as comparisons to Nintendo’s pocket monsters. One employee from Palworld has had enough.
What kind of card game is this? While the lawsuit between Nintendo and the Palworld developer Pocketpair is still ongoing, the latter company recently announced its own trading card game on the official website.
It is set to be released on July 30, 2026, and will feature duels between two players, with the various monsters being used in combat, as is typical of such games. In addition, players will gather resources and build a base.
The announcement was met with excitement in the community, but there are also critical voices comparing the card game to Pokémon’s TCG – once again, Palworld has to face this comparison. One member of the Pocketpair team finds the critics to be far too dramatic.
There are more TCGs than just Pokémon’s
Who is it about? On x.com, Pocketpair’s Publishing Manager, Bucky, spoke out and addressed the reactions that the announcement of the card game has caused.
In a first post on x.com, he initially expressed his joy over the positive feedback, but then emphasized how “hilarious” it is to see some people’s outbursts.
Look, hating Palworld at launch was all the rage back then. I get it. Easy clicks. But still? Two years later? Maybe you should use your time better. Play some games or something!
Another important point raised by the X account Masak Gitsune is the fact that Pokémon was not the first and only franchise with its own trading card game. The user writes in his post: “There are many franchises with cards in the TCG market. People are honestly too dramatic about Palworld.”
This post was shared by Publishing Manager Bucky, who simply responded with a supportive: “Yes.”.
Is there any truth to the statement? Indeed, as the accusation that Palworld also imitates Pokémon in this aspect is on shaky ground. After all, Pokémon did not invent the trading card game concept and was by no means the first of its kind.
This title is generally held by Magic: The Gathering, which was released in 1993 – Pokémon followed in 1996 and has had a mobile version since 2024. Many other brands have also utilized the game mechanics and released their own versions. Just think of Yu-Gi-Oh!, Star Wars: Unlimited, Digimon, or digital games like Hearthstone or Gwent.
How Palworld’s version performs will be seen at the release on July 30, 2026. What are your thoughts on this? Are you looking forward to the card game, or would you rather stick with your favorite TCG? Please feel free to tell us in the comments. Recently, Nintendo suffered a defeat: Agency rejects Nintendo’s patent application for capturing creatures, which could influence the legal dispute with Palworld
