Palworld ditches Pokéball-style summoning mechanic amid Nintendo legal battle

2 years ago by nanoUFO to c/games

Palworld developer Pocket Pair has released an update for the creature-catching survival game removing the ability to s…

bert 58 points 2 years ago

the lawsuit is targeting three patents in particular. These primarily cover throwing an object in a specific direction to either summon a battle character or to capture a creature in the field

Better watch out, Ghostbusters. Your ghost trap might be next.

save

path: 0 13931868, hotness: undefined, score: 58, children: 3

ImplyingImplications 30 points 2 years ago

No they specifically only target companies that cannot defend themselves. World of Warcraft has battle pets that you can capture by throwing cages at them and then train and fight them against other battle pets. Nintendo isn't about to file a lawsuit against Microsoft.

save

path: 0 13931868 13934162, hotness: undefined, score: 30, children: 1

p03locke 5 points 2 years ago

World of Warcraft has battle pets that you can capture by throwing cages at them and then train and fight them against other battle pets.

Which is arguable a more realistic representation of what Pokemon represents: slavery.

save

path: 0 13931868 13934162 13940656, hotness: undefined, score: 5, children: 0

Shiggles 9 points 2 years ago

I need it explained to me how this wouldn’t cover “throwing a net”. Don’t see how you can get away with patenting a real life action with an uber vague patent.

save

path: 0 13931868 13935075, hotness: undefined, score: 9, children: 0

Cyth 23 points 2 years ago

I'm really hoping that this was done in a way that lets someone just mod it back in trivially or something.

Also obligatory fuck nintendo. For so many reasons, including this.

save

path: 0 13934308, hotness: undefined, score: 23, children: 0

Fiivemacs 22 points 2 years ago

Omg get stuffed tendo

save

path: 0 13931799, hotness: undefined, score: 22, children: 0

restingboredface 16 points 2 years ago

Not a lawyer, but it seems like changing the ball throwing mechanic is an admission that they are taking ideas from Nintendo. Maybe they are trying to minimize the damage but still seems like they are weakening their position.

save

path: 0 13932417, hotness: undefined, score: 16, children: 3

ThatWeirdGuy1001 27 points 2 years ago

Yeah doesn't seem like a good tactic to me.

Honestly this whole thing is gonna set precedence and simple game mechanics are gonna get copyrighted in ways that will only make gaming as a whole even worse than it already is.

save

path: 0 13932417 13932553, hotness: undefined, score: 27, children: 1

stringere 2 points 2 years ago

Your video game has characters collecting in-game coins.

We have a patent for commercial mechanics existing in games, pay us.

save

path: 0 13932417 13932553 13953021, hotness: undefined, score: 2, children: 0

sacbuntchris 3 points 2 years ago

I bet with their sales Palworld can afford actual lawyers

save

path: 0 13932417 13945120, hotness: undefined, score: 3, children: 0