Palworld is out on PS5 today
The game has been on Xbox and PC since January
Palworld launches today on PS5, it’s been confirmed.
Released in January via Steam Early Access and Xbox Game Preview, the monster-catching survival game Palworld was an immediate hit, attracting 25 million players in just its first month, according to Pocketpair.
However, the game’s huge success ignited debate around perceived similarities between its character designs and those of the Pokémon games.
Now the game is set to be added to the PlayStation 5 store later today.
The release comes despite the recent announcement that Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have filed a patent lawsuit against the game.
Nintendo and TPC filed the lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court last week, seeking an injunction against infringement and compensation for damages “on the grounds that Palworld… infringes multiple patent rights.”
In a subsequent statement, Palworld developer Pocketpair said it would fight the lawsuit, saying it believes it’s “truly unfortunate that we will be forced to allocate significant time to matters unrelated to game development” due to the lawsuit.
“We will do our utmost for our fans, and to ensure that indie game developers are not hindered or discouraged from pursuing their creative ideas,” it added.
Since the lawsuit filed last week is a patent suit – and not a copyright suit – it suggests Nintendo and The Pokémon Company’s complaint is likely focused on its gameplay inventions, rather than similarities between character designs.
As noted in its statement, Pocketpair claims it’s “unaware of the specific patents we are accused of infringing upon” and that it hasn’t been notified.
