Palworld has been published on PC and Xbox platforms, but the survival game has sparked controversy among gamers. According to several players, Pocketpair’s open-world game has stolen various Pokemon designs for its Pals, prompting some fans to boycott the new release.
Some of the Pals of Palworld bear striking resemblances to the animals from the Pokemon franchise. While some fans indicated that they would not support Pocketpair’s game because they believe it is stealing, others stated that they did not care and were bored of Game Freak’s way with its Pocket Monster titles.
Is Palworld a Pokemon Rip-off?
Although numerous people on X agreed that they would not support Palworld because of what they saw as obvious rip-offs of existing Pokemon designs, a large number of fans indicated they were beyond caring.
People told me that there are hundreds of original designs and not everyone was a blatant copy of a Pokémon.
Guess what? I’ve seen the rest and with no surprise, 90% of them are definitely a copy of existing Pokémon, with some of them literally having parts of their models.
Damn. https://t.co/2109NvZy6c
— Barbie-Élite4 (@Barbie_E4) January 18, 2024
Some cited Pocketpair’s gunplay-based gameplay and survival features, while others said they were sick of Game Freak and the Pocket Monster series in general.
The similarities between Pals and Pokémon are evident. However, given recent problems, including perceived poor game and DLC releases, many Pocket Monster fans may be inclined to search elsewhere.
Some users also noted that Game Freak was heavily inspired by Square Enix’s Dragon Quest series.
Someone should bust Pokémon for doing the same thing then, lmao. pic.twitter.com/L8cDLnK9VW
— RandomAccess (@RandomAccess64) January 17, 2024
— Hugh Jakov🔞 (@GodlyTensai) January 18, 2024
They also have one that looks like Lucario but looks Egyptian
— Jason Fleming (@JasonFl44316787) January 17, 2024
yeah but i get to shoot them with an m16
— Marcus (@Dewndeym) January 17, 2024
This entire discussion raises the unavoidable question: Where is the boundary between design inspiration and blatant copying of assets from a game for a new, unrelated project? Will the Pokemon Company be able to take action? Some Palworld gamers are unconcerned about the solution, having expressed their indifference in Game Freak’s monster collection series.
There is no shortage of Pokemon-inspired games, as there is a thriving monster collector genre available on a variety of platforms. Franchises such as Digimon and Monster Rancher have also persisted, so Palworld appears to be a long-term competitor. However, not all players will favor Pocketpair’s new release.
Many gamers also pointed out that Palworld is a spoof of Pokemon, with the creature designs being purposely identical. Whatever the case, Pocketpair’s game appears to already have fervent supporters, some of whom look to be disgruntled Pocket Monster fans who have grown dissatisfied with Game Freak’s recent direction for the franchise.