Palworld Dev May Have Found An Unexpected Ally In Nintendo's Lawsuit: An Old GTA 5 Mod

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Chad

Staff member

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Nov 21, 2024

Earlier this month, Palworld developer PocketPair detailed the patent infringement claims that make up Nintendo's ongoing lawsuit. The case itself is still underway, with both parties building their arguments, but a new prediction from a Japanese patent attorney suggests that PocketPair may be finding support in the most unlikely of places (thanks, Automaton).

The support in question may come from an eight-year-old Grand Theft Auto V mod — yep, that GTA 5 — which, patent attorney Ryo Arashida told Nikkei Business, might prove that Nintendo's patented throwing/catching mechanics could be found out in the wild long before the claim was submitted.

The Siarasia attorney doesn't specify the exact mod, though he does mention that it was released publicly in 2016 and involved Poké Ball-like catching mechanics in Rockstar's open world. LudicrousBeach's Pokémon GO-inspired mod appears to be the most likely source at the moment (we've attached a video of it in action below), which saw many familiar 'mon take to the streets of Los Santos to be 'caught' by a player in an Ash Ketcham-style get-up.

According to Arashida, the mod features many of the same mechanics that appear to be key in Nintendo's lawsuit — particularly Patent No. 7545191, which relates to catching creatures in an open field by throwing a sphere-like object at them. This, he states, leaves "a possibility that the GTA5 Pokémon mod will be recognised as a precedent by the court," invalidating one of Nintendo's three key patents by proving its use before registration.

While the three patents were each applied for between February and July 2024, they are related to a 'Parent Patent' from 2021, presumably linking them and their mechanics to those found in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

Now, Palworld does contain actions similar to those outlined in Nintendo's patents (specifically the throwing of "Pal Spheres" to catch monsters and the subsequent ability to ride on them), but the mechanic's appearance in LudicrousBeach's GTA V mod, which was released five years prior to the Nintendo parent patent, might bring up some questions about the validity of Nintendo's claim.

Of course, this is all still speculation at this point. Automaton points out that patent claims are only valid in the region they were granted, so a GTA V mod might not hold too much sway over the Japanese case. However, it seems that Nintendo is seeking to get the patents approved overseas too, so who knows what allies PocketPair will be seeking should the case come to the US.

We'll be keeping an eye on the legal proceedings and will share any updates in the future.