Palworld developer Pocketpair has teased a major update for the game coming in December as well as a crossover with Terraria.
Taking to the Palworld Discord, Pocketpair said the December update adds the “largest, harshest, and most mysterious” island yet to Palworld. This new island is about six times bigger than Sakurajima, which hit Palworld in June.
“Don't miss it!” Pocketpair teased alongisde the screenshots, below.
Meanwhile, Pocketpair teased a surprise crossover with indie smash hit Terraria. There are no details yet, but artwork, below, shows characters from both games clasping hands. Expect whatever this is to arrive in 2025.
All this comes, of course, as Pocketpair works to defend itself in a high-profile patent lawsuit filed by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. After Palworld’s huge launch earlier this year on PC and Xbox, comparisons were made between Palworld’s Pals and Pokémon, with some accusing Pocketpair of "ripping off" Pokémon designs. But rather than file a copyright infringement lawsuit, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have gone down the patent route. They want 5 million yen (approx $32,846) each plus late payment damages, as well as an injunction against Palworld that would block its release.
Earlier this month, Pocketpair confirmed the three Japan-based patents, which revolve around catching Pokémon in a virtual field, that it's being sued over. Palworld does include a mechanic that involves throwing a ball-like object (called a Pal Sphere) at monsters out in a field to capture them, similar to the mechanic seen in the 2022 Nintendo Switch exclusive Pokémon Legends: Arceus. One of the three patents in question is about riding on top of Pokémon (Palworld also lets players ride Pals).
One patent expert has suggested a GTA 5 mod dating back to 2016 may be recognized as a precedent by the court because it included the catching Pokémon mechanic long before Pokémon Legends: Arceus. If that happens, it could work in Palworld’s favor.
Palworld launched on Steam priced $30 and straight into Game Pass on Xbox and PC earlier this year, breaking sales and concurrent player number records in the process. Pocketpair boss Takuro Mizobe has said Palworld's launch was so big that the developer couldn’t handle the massive profits the game generated. Still, Pocketpair acted swiftly to capitalize on Palworld’s breakout success, signing a deal with Sony to form a new business called Palworld Entertainment that’s tasked with expanding the IP.
Patent experts have said Nintendo and The Pokémon Company’s lawsuit against Pocketpair is evidence of the threat posed by Palworld, which has since gone on to launch on PS5. Pocketpair has vowed to take on Nintendo and The Pokémon Company in court, saying: “We will continue to assert our position in this case through future legal proceedings.”
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
