A month after Nintendo's Palworld lawsuit, Sega files its own patent infringement claim against idle RPG devs' gacha mechanics

Key art depicting a feminine character with long hair and a horn on their head in MementoMori. — (Image credit: Bank of Innovation)

Sega has reportedly filed for patent infringement against Bank of Innovation – the developer of idle RPG MementoMori, and mobile game Genjuu Keiyaku Cryptract.

According to a report from Otaku Sougen (translated by Automaton), Sega is seeking both 1 billion yen in damages (that's over $6.6 million at the current exchange rate) and an injunction for patent infringement. This apparently comes after previous negotiations between the two companies.

Sega alleges that Bank of Innovation has infringed upon five different patents – all of which relate to gameplay mechanics, or more specifically, mechanics often tied to gacha. Over on Twitter, analyst Dr. Serkan Toto – the CEO of Japan games industry company Kantan Games – says, "I looked at the patents, and one of them describes a specific system for fusing character cards of the same kind more easily."

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Despite the legal action, Bank of Innovation has apparently expressed that it wants to keep running MementoMori regardless of the conclusion of the lawsuit. It's worth noting that it doesn't believe there's any basis for its apparent infringements in the first place, and is hoping to prove as such during the case.

The timing of this lawsuit is rather interesting, given that only last month, Nintendo and The Pokemon Company filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Palworld developer Pocketpair. At the time, Pocketpair stated that it wasn't actually aware what patents it was alleged to have infringed upon, although some have suggested that one describing Pokeball-catching mechanics could be at the heart of it. Pocketpair previously said it "will do our utmost for our fans, and to ensure that indie game developers are not hindered or discouraged from pursuing their creative ideas."

"I think this will end bad for Pocketpair": Analyst says Nintendo's "feared" legal team wouldn't sue Palworld unless it was confident of victory.

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I'm GamesRadar+'s Deputy News Editor, working alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.