Palworld shadow drops on PS5 amid Nintendo lawsuit

Palworld shadow-dropped on PS5 right in the middle of Nintendo’s ongoing lawsuit. While Pocketpair deals with legal issues, Sony players can now dive into the monster-taming mayhem.

Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are not happy with Pocketpair’s Palworld. They filed a patent infringement lawsuit against the indie developer in the Tokyo District Court on September 18, 2024.

Amid the lawsuit drama, during today’s Sony State of Play, it was announced that Palworld would now be available on PlayStation. There were rumors that it’d be coming to the console, but it being shadow dropped was a surprise.

Sony

Palworld released as an Xbox and Microsoft exclusive, and you could download it through Steam or the Xbox store. But, eight months after Pocketpair’s monster catcher’s release, you can now catch it on PlayStation 5 as well.

After a brief trailer, Sony did clarify the game would be available on just PlayStation 5 starting September 25, leaving PS4 players behind.

However, part of the shock behind this announcement was also due to Nintendo’s ongoing lawsuit against Palworld developer Pocketpair. The lawsuit claims Palworld’s mechanics infringe on Nintendo’s patents, specifically its “throwing an item to catch a monster” mechanic.

With this legal storm brewing, what does this mean for Palworld’s future? Despite legal challenges, Pocketpair shows no signs of slowing down, at least for now. Sony’s backing could help the game weather the storm, but a Nintendo win could be devastating for this Tokyo company.

While the timing feels ironic, it’s a savvy move by Sony, capitalizing on the game’s massive popularity – 10 million copies sold since January 2024. Plus, Pocketpair’s Global Community Manager hinted that Palworld would be coming to PlayStation in a X post back in June.

In the meantime, Pocketpair continues working on the game, releasing hotfixes amid the lawsuit. Legal battles or not, the Palworld train keeps rolling.