The controversy around 'Pokémon with guns' game 'Palworld,' explained
New "Pokémon with guns" game "Palworld" has been accused of plagiarism, as well as of using generative AI art.
Palworld instantly exploded in popularity upon its early access launch. Widely described as "Pokémon with guns," the video game reportedly sold 5 million copies in just three days and surpassed 1.5 million concurrent players on Steam, taking third place for most simultaneous players of all time.
Unfortunately, Palworld's meteoric rise has not come without controversy, and not all of it concerns the game's premise of Pokémon dupes wielding shotguns. Palworld's overwhelming success has been overshadowed by accusations of art theft and plagiarism, which have dominated the conversation about the game since its Jan. 18 release.
What is Palworld?
Palworld is Pokémon with guns. That’s it. That’s the game.
Created by Japanese developer Pocket Pair, Palworld is an open world survival game in which players gather resources, build bases, manage their hunger, and fight off enemies — all common concerns of the genre.
However, one unique feature has catapulted Palworld to the internet's attention: Pals, the cute, unmistakably Pokémon-esque creatures the game allows you to recruit. Players can fight these not-Pokémon in order to weaken and catch them using "Pal Spheres," with over 100 of the creatures to collect. They can then be utilised for a myriad of useful purposes, such as mounts, in battle, and to help with various tasks.
Also, you can give your Pals guns.
Palworld's survival elements already do a lot to separate it even from open world Pokémon game Scarlet and Violet. You can reportedly even eat your Pals, an option that is largely left unexplored in the world of Pokémon. But what has really captured gamers' attention is Palworld's enthusiastic inclusion of surprisingly realistic-looking firearms — weapons which you probably wouldn't expect if this were a Nintendo-sanctioned Pokémon game.
To be clear, Palworld is not a Pokémon game, and has no affiliation with Nintendo. Pocket Pair has claimed that Palworld is more heavily inspired by 2015 survival game Ark: Survival Evolved than Pokémon, and that they in fact tried to distinguish it from the latter. Still, it's practically impossible not to see the similarities.
What is the controversy around Palworld?
Palworld already received mixed reactions when it was first revealed in 2021. Though some gamers were excited by the silliness of having such unexpectedly mature themes in a Pokémon-like game, others expressed disapproval for Palworld's combination of gun violence and ostensibly child-friendly imagery. Palworld's clear similarities to Pokémon and apparent themes of animal cruelty also made several gamers believe the trailer was a joke, or interpret it as an immature attempt to be edgy.
These concerns haven't dissipated now that players can explore Palworld for themselves. In fact, Palworld's early access release has brought such controversies back to the fore — alongside other issues.
Accusations of plagiarising Pokémon
Gamers have accused Pocket Pair of outright plagiarising from Pokémon, taking to social media to highlight the numerous parallels in their creatures' designs. Many of Palworld's Pals bear a striking resemblance to various Pokémon, sharing similar features, colouring, and builds.
This would already be enough to make Pokémon fans start asking questions. Though Pocket Pair claims that it drew inspiration from roleplaying series Dragon Quest, viewing Pals and Pokémon side by side makes it seem reasonable to wonder whether Palworld was also influenced by its more famous pocket monster predecessors.
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Still, these similarities aren't necessarily nefarious on the face of it. What appears much more damning are Palworld's models.
Twitter/X user @byofrog directly compared Palworld's assets to those from Pokémon and concluded that many of the former's 3D mesh models had been taken from the latter and merely tweaked or edited. Various game developers have agreed with @byofrog's assessment upon viewing their comparisons, stating that the models are too much alike for it to be a coincidence.
"To 'accidentally' create a complex model mesh with so near-exact proportions is practically impossible," game designer Eric Covington wrote on Twitter/X. "To repeat that improbability throughout your roster… doesn’t pass the sniff test."
"I have no issue with them broadly copying pokemon's design vibe for parody reasons," posted concept artist RJ Palmer. "Its just when they are actually kitbashing their model rips that it gets kinda icky."
The Pokémon Company is well aware of Palworld, issuing a statement declaring the company is investigating "another company’s game" and that it will "address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights". Nintendo is aware of Palworld, but hasn't yet issued any official response — though the company reportedly issued a DMCA takedown for a Palworld Pokémon mod.
Mashable has reached out to Pocket Pair with questions about the art, and we will update this article if we receive a response.
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Accusations of using AI art
Pocket Pair has further been accused of using AI to design their Pals, though the evidence to support this is largely circumstantial.
Suspicions were raised not only due to the similarities between Pals and Pokémon, but also because of Pocket Pair CEO Takuro Mizobe's public appreciation of AI. Critics have resurfaced several old X/Twitter posts in which Mizobe apparently admired fake AI-generated Pokémon and expressed enthusiasm for the future development of games using generative AI technology.
Pocket Pair has also used AI in its games before, making it the main theme of its party game AI: Art Imposter. Released to early access in 2022, AI: Art Imposter is transparent about its use of AI, requiring players to generate images themselves. Even so, it demonstrates that the developer isn't adverse to using such technology in its games.
None of this is a smoking gun, and there's still more than enough room for doubt when it comes to Palworld's potential use of AI. While generative AI has been around for several years, it was significantly less common or widely used when Palworld's first trailer was revealed three years ago.
Still, there's enough suspicion and speculation circulating to make many gamers feel uneasy.
Do not harass game developers
But wait, it gets worse. Unfortunately, some gamers have reportedly jumped from expressing valid criticism for Palworld to directly attacking its developers online. The situation even deteriorated enough that Mizobe took to X/Twitter to address it.
"Currently, we are receiving slanderous comments against our artists, and we are seeing tweets that appear to be death threats," Mizobe wrote, translated from Japanese via Google Translate. "I have received a variety of opinions regarding Palworld, but all productions related to Palworld are supervised by multiple people, including myself, and I am responsible for the production. I would appreciate it if you would refrain from slandering the artists involved in Palworld."
@byofrog, who has also been critical of Palworld for "[glorifying] animal abuse," asked people not to pile on the developers as well.
"I hope this is obvious to all of you but PLEASE don't harass the modeler from Palworld," they posted. "Even if they did steal assets, which is NOT a proven fact, it's not a crime to threaten someone over."
Remember, it's fine to discuss apparent art theft and call for it to be investigated. It isn't fine to attack and threaten people, regardless of whether you believe they're guilty of plagiarism.
Where can you play Palworld?
Palworld is currently available early access on PC via Steam, and will currently set you back $26.99. You can also pick up a preview on Xbox One and Series X/S for $29.99, or play it using an Xbox Game Pass subscription.
If you’re struggling to choose between the platforms, the Xbox version is reportedly missing several assets and features. This includes 32-player dedicated servers, as well as the ability to name your character.
It’s important to be aware that the Palworld is still in early access, meaning it hasn’t been finished yet. As always, you should only purchase an early access game if you’re happy to accept it as is, as there’s no guarantee it will improve or be updated at all. It’s a bit like getting married in that regard.
Still, all this may not matter if Nintendo does decide to pursue legal action against Pocket Pair, which could potentially force Palworld to shut down entirely.
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