Palworld studio makes "yet another compromise" amid Nintendo lawsuit by changing the survival game's gliding mechanic

Palworld developer Pocketpair has given an update on its ongoing legal battle with Nintendo and The Pokemon Company as it makes another change to its survival game, which it says is "necessary in order to prevent further disruptions to the development of Palworld."

Nintendo and The Pokemon Company filed a lawsuit against Pocketpair last September, alleging that Palworld "infringes multiple patents." It was later revealed that Pocketpair was specifically alleged to have infringed upon three patents, all related to game mechanics. One of them, for example, was related to Pokeball-style catching mechanics, while another seemed to be related to boarding and riding characters, a bit like Pokemon Legends: Arceus' Ride Pokemon.

In a new statement posted to Twitter, Pocketpair starts with its thanks for "the continued support of our fans over the past few months," adding: "We apologize for not being able to share as much information as we would like, but we trust our fans understand how difficult it is to be fully transparent while litigation is ongoing."

The developer confirms that "we remain involved in prolonged legal proceedings regarding alleged patent infringement," and that "we continue to dispute these claims and assert the invalidity of the patents in question." It continues: "However, we have had to make certain compromises in order to avoid disruptions to the development and distribution of Palworld."

First, Pocketpair acknowledges a change made to Palworld late last November, when it "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."

At the time, many believed that this could be a result of the lawsuit, and Pocketpair now confirms that "as many have speculated, these changes were indeed a result of the ongoing litigation." Although the devs were "disappointed that this adjustment had to be made," the studio says that "as the alternative would have led to an even greater deterioration of the gameplay experience for players, it was determined that this change was necessary."

That's not the end of the changes to Palworld, though, as the devs say "we must make yet another compromise" in an update that's been rolled out today, stopping players from using Pals as gliders. This means that in order to glide going forward, you'll need an actual glider in your inventory – Pals can "provide passive buffs to gliding" in the background, instead.

"We understand that this will be disappointing for many, just as it is for us, but we hope our fans understand that these changes are necessary in order to prevent further disruptions to the development of Palworld," Pocketpair says.

It concludes by apologizing to fans "for the discomfort and concern this ongoing litigation has caused," adding: "We remain committed to developing Palworld and delivering exciting new content to our fans."

Nintendo's Palworld lawsuit "came as a shock" to Pocketpair because patent infringement was "something that no one even considered."