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Nintendo’s lawyers have killed another Palworld game mechanic. Pocketpair released a patch on Thursday that changes the way the brutal satire works in the “Pokémon With Guns” satire.
You can still slide in Palworld but you can no longer use your friend to do it. From patch v0.5.5, you can only climb with a dull and lifeless hill in your inventory. Although the Friends of Aliante can still passively dig, it is no longer fun, like launching the creature and using their aerodynamics to cross a ravine.
As expected, Pocketpair’s decision dates back to their legal defense. Nintendo and The Pokémon Company sued the developer in Japan last year, claiming that Palworld infringes on multiple patents. Since then, Nintendo has presented a barrage of patent claims in the United States in a clear strategy to go global with its legal attack.
“We understand that this will disappoint many, as well as ourselves,” wrote Pocketpair. “But we hope our fans understand that these changes are necessary to prevent further disruptions in the development of Palworld.”
Today’s update is not the first time the game has been borked to try to avoid the legal onslaught from Nintendo. In November, Palworld removed the ability to summon friends by launching orbs, one of the most iconic details of the game. However, sliding is a much less established gameplay Pokémon mechanic. Additionally, it is common in the industry, found in various franchises such as Cry, Fortnite, and Batman: Arkham.
The issue is causing giants in the industry to use smaller competitors’ courts more widespread. “Video game mechanics patents need to die completely, as they are being abused by major companies to cripple any competition or be completely wasted like with the Middle-earth games’ nemesis system,” opened U/Densecalligrapher219 on Reddit.
Another way to see Nintendo’s move is that the stench of a stagnant franchise is being masked. “If Nintendo is going to sabotage other games similar to Pokémon, the least they could do is develop a Pokémon game that is not trash,” said U/Vacanthaughts. “The world’s biggest franchise with the laziest half-baked developers in the world.”
BRON
