If you haven't heard about it yet, there's a new game out there that has taken the gaming world by storm. Titled Palworld, the creatures bear an uncanny resemblance to Pokémon. Nintendo can't seem to get to the developers for an infringement lawsuit, so it's going after modders instead.
Nintendo Aims for Pokémon Modder
YouTuber ToastedShoes managed to create a Palworld mod that caught the attention of Nintendo. Through X (formerly Twitter), the content creator shared the first look at the mod, showing how you can use Pokémon's Ash Ketchum as a playable character.
It's still unclear how the modder created the appearance, especially since the developer behind Palworld, Pocket Pair, said that there's no mod support yet. Regardless, the post caught Nintndo's attention, and quickly took to action.
The post announcing the Pokémon mod didn't even last a day before it was taken down by X. Instead of the photo, it now states that the media has been disabled "in response to a report by the copyright owner," meaning Nintendo.
The mod creator quoted the post saying: "Nintendo has come for me, please leave me in your thoughts and prayers." ToastedShoes followed up with a YouTube video demonstrating the modded Palworld.
It didn't take a while before that video was taken down as well. It now states that the video contains content from Nintendo, who has blocked the video on copyright grounds. It's not surprising based on how quickly the videogame giant reacted on the X post.
According to The Verge, the video showed 16 minutes of using Pokémon for work, fights, and facing the game's first boss. Funnily enough, the boss is also part of the modded experience as it appeared as Team Rocket's Jessie mounted on an Electabuzz.
It's easier for Nintendo to go after ToastedShoes, especially since he explicitly said that it was a Pokémon mod. Even if he did not, anyone who grew up watching and playing Pokémon titles could easily recognize the modded content from the source material.
Although Pocket Pair has plans in place to add mod support after the game's official launch, it's unclear whether the YouTuber will still release the mods, especially knowing that Nintendo is already keeping watch.
Palworld Has Problems of Its Own
Even if Nintendo has not yet found grounds to sue Pocket Pair, the developers are facing some criticism from others. Artists and game developers have accused the game makers of using generative AI for the title.
Despite the allegations, there's no proof that Pocket Pair did use generative AI. If there's anything to base it on, it's just the X posts from the game studio's CEO Takuro Mizobe back in 2021, expressing his excitement with the use of generative AI in creating new Pokémon.
Mizobe has also stated that AI is inevitable, and could be useful in certain projects, as mentioned in Forbes. All that confirms is that Mizobe has used AI before, not that he used it in creating and developing the game.
