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As the Palworld lawsuit rumbles on, Nintendo claims two new patents that could change the way non-Pokemon creature collectors work for good

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Baldur’s Gate 3 publishing lead says patents like the controversial ones Nintendo has secured amid its Palworld lawsuit “are too often used in bad faith”

Anna Koselke

11 September 2025

The patents could reshape other developers’ games forever

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(Image credit: Larian Studios)

Nintendo was just granted two new patents in the US amid The Pokemon Company’s lawsuit against Palworld studio Pocketpair – a move one Baldur’s Gate 3 developer doesn’t think was played with good intentions.

Larian Studios publishing director Michael ‘Cromwelp’ Douse reveals as much in a new post online, responding directly to a thread highlighting the new patents Nintendo bagged – one of which could genuinely reshape the creature collector genre (and others, to be honest) entirely. “These types of patents are too often used in bad faith,” he writes – a sentiment many share in the replies, with somebody saying on Nintendo, “By default, they operate in bad faith.”
Another person comments, “I feel like this patent is pretty generic, surely they can’t patent something as broad as this.” Unfortunately, it seems as though they can – or at least did – and broad feels like an understatement. For anyone unaware of what the more concerning of Nintendo’s two new patents covers, it revolves around the battle system found in Pokemon and just about every other creature collector out there.

You may like

As the Palworld lawsuit rumbles on, Nintendo claims two new patents that could change the way non-Pokemon creature collectors work for good

As Palworld update soars, IP expert says “weird” new moves from Nintendo in ongoing lawsuit read like a “desperate attempt to win by doing something odd”

Nintendo has more than Palworld to deal with – IP expert says Genshin Impact dev’s new Pokemon-style game “clearly infringes” on a hard-to-avoid patent Pocketpair is accused of infringing

These types of patents are too often used in bad faith https://t.co/89972KD6NBSeptember 10, 2025

The patent centers around the summoning of a “character” (in Palworld’s case, that would be a Pal) and using it in combat against others – if there’s a character that can move within a virtual “field” (space), a summonable “sub character” (think Pokemon or Pal), and an enemy character that’s present within the area that the so-called “sub character” is summoned into to fight – that scenario could now effectively be rendered Nintendo-exclusive.

Although it’s unclear how this will all affect Palworld, other creature collectors, or y’know, just about any game out there that has a similar battle system, it’s not the first time Nintendo has bagged a new patent mid-lawsuit.
Pocketpair has also had to make “certain compromises” amid the legal battle to “avoid disruptions” in development, so there might be a chance the same may happen this time – although I, and it seems Douse, would prefer it not to.
“Less poo, more Shakespeare”: Baldur’s Gate 3 boss Swen Vincke had to ask the RPG’s writing team for more variety over Vicious Mockery’s many silly insults

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After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms’ clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she’s not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she’s probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she’s spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur’s Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you’ll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

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As the Palworld lawsuit rumbles on, Nintendo claims two new patents that could change the way non-Pokemon creature collectors work for good

As Palworld update soars, IP expert says “weird” new moves from Nintendo in ongoing lawsuit read like a “desperate attempt to win by doing something odd”

Nintendo has more than Palworld to deal with – IP expert says Genshin Impact dev’s new Pokemon-style game “clearly infringes” on a hard-to-avoid patent Pocketpair is accused of infringing

With the Palworld lawsuit rumbling on in the background, the Nintendo Switch welcomes “Palland” – a survival game that looks a whole lot like Pocketpair’s creature collector

Palworld might be making another play for Pokemon’s crown, snapping up shares in a Japanese card game publisher while Nintendo’s lawsuit rumbles on in the background

Palworld studio’s publishing arm signs another “very exciting game” to add to its list of “bangers,” not long after helping release a new horror game featuring Baldur’s Gate 3 and Final Fantasy talent

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