The authorized dispute between The Pokémon Firm and the creators of Palworld continues to escalate. With the brand new patch, you possibly can not glide by the air with the assistance of your Buddies.
It was clear from the second the survival crafting sport Palworld was first introduced that it bore important similarities to the well-known Pokémon sequence. In each video games, you discover open worlds, catch cute monsters, evolve them, and battle them towards one another.
So it got here as little shock when the Pokémon Firm, the dad or mum firm behind Pikachu and co., determined in September 2024 to sue Palworld studio Pocketpair for alleged patent infringements.
The continuing authorized proceedings have now had a direct impression on Palworld’s gameplay for the second time. In an effort to refute among the Pokémon Firm’s key authorized arguments, the Palworld creators have now revised one other ingredient of their sport.
After summoning Buddies by throwing Pal Spheres, or Poké Balls, was eliminated in December, the brand new patch v0.5.5 has now made gliding Buddies a factor of the previous. Beforehand, it was doable to glide by the air (with out gaining altitude) in Palworld with the assistance of some Buddies.
Any longer, you will want to hold a glider in your stock to glide. Nevertheless, it’ll nonetheless be doable to fly on sure Buddies.
Everybody right here was disillusioned
On Twitter, the Palworld builders shared a prolonged assertion apologizing to gamers for the inconvenience and offering an replace on the continuing authorized proceedings:
Concerning the lawsuit, adjustments to Palworld and the long run]
We wish to specific our honest gratitude and appreciation for the continued help of our followers over the previous few months. We apologize for not with the ability to share as a lot data as we want, however we belief…
— Palworld (@Palworld_EN) Could 8, 2025
Hyperlink to Twitter content material
We wish to specific our honest gratitude and appreciation for the continued help of our followers over the previous few months. […] We’re at present concerned in a prolonged authorized course of concerning alleged patent infringements. We proceed to dispute these claims, […] however have needed to make sure compromises to keep away from interrupting the event and distribution of Palworld.
As well as, we remorse to tell our gamers that with the discharge of patch v0.5.5, we’ve got needed to make one other compromise: any longer, gliding shall be carried out with a glider and not with the assistance of Buddies. Buddies within the participant’s group will proceed to grant passive buffs for gliding, however gamers will now have to have a glider of their stock to have the ability to glide.
We perceive that this shall be disappointing for a lot of gamers, as it’s for us, however we hope that our followers perceive that these adjustments are essential to keep away from additional disruption to the event of Palworld. We stay dedicated to the event of Palworld and to bringing thrilling new content material to our followers.
– Pocketpair
With these adjustments, the Japanese studio is probably going making an attempt to preempt authorized motion equivalent to a preliminary injunction to halt distribution of Palworld. Eradicating the controversial parts from the sport in the interim would render the topic of the lawsuit moot.
Nevertheless, Palworld may also lose its gun-wielding Pokémon character, which helped make the survival sport so in style. The authorized proceedings between The Pokémon Firm and Pocketpair are nonetheless ongoing, and the result is unsure.
Information, Palworld, Nintendo, The Pokémon Firm, Roleplaying sport, PlayStation 5, Xbox Sequence X/S, POCKET Pair Inc.
