Back when it was announced Nintendo was suing Palworld developer Pocketpair, most assumed it was due to the similarities between recognisable Pokémon and the game’s gun-toting creatures. But the legal case ended up revolving around patents, which the Mario maker said the enormous indie was infringing upon.
Now, in a rare statement, the studio has confirmed some of the changes it’s already implemented – and other upcoming ones it’s being forced to make due to the ongoing litigation.
“On 30th November, 2024, we released Patch v0.3.11 for Palworld,” the statement says.
“This patch removed the ability to summon Pals by throwing Pal Spheres and instead changed it to a static summon next to the player. Several other game mechanics were also changed with this patch.
“As many have speculated, these changes were indeed a result of the ongoing litigation.
“Everyone here at Pocketpair was disappointed that this adjustment had to be made, and we fully understand that many players feel the same frustration.”
It doesn’t end there, however, as an upcoming patch will also prevent players from using their Pals as gliders.
“From this patch onward, gliding will be performed using a glider rather than with Pals. Pals in the player’s team will still provide passive buffs to gliding, but players will now need to have a glider in their inventory in order to glide.