Palworld is currently going through an absolutely massive launch, gaining millions of more players in new sales as the days go by. Six days into its early access launch, the survival game has topped eight million copies sold. However, just as many fans jokingly describe the experience as "Pokémon with guns", The Pokémon Company itself has now made an official statement confirming that it is investigating the massive phenomenon to take appropriate action.
"We have received many inquiries regarding another company’s game released in January 2024," said the company today regarding the heated fan discourse happening online about Palworld"s inspirations for its Pal designs.
"We have not granted any permission for the use of Pokémon intellectual property or assets in that game," adds The Pokémon Company. "We intend to investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to the Pokémon."
It"s unclear how long will this investigation take and what sort of measures The Pokémon Company is planning to take against Palworld developer Pocket Pair, if it finds infringement has taken place.
The statement ends with the company saying, "We will continue to cherish and nurture each and every Pokémon and its world, and work to bring the world together through Pokémon in the future."
#Palworld has sold over 8 million copies in less than 6 days!
— Palworld (@Palworld_EN) January 25, 2024
Thank you very much!!
As stated previously, we continue to work at full-speed on addressing bugs and issues!
Thanks for your support!#Pocketpair pic.twitter.com/4PLB1J4CYH
Meanwhile, Palworld continues to set massive engagement records. Concurrent player numbers on Steam have already broken past two million. While no definite numbers are available for Xbox platforms, the game is also topping the charts on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Game Pass.
Pocket Pair recently shared a roadmap for upcoming content updates for the early access experience, which includes Pal AI and pathing improvements, addition of PVP combat, raid bosses, Steam and Xbox crossplay, and other features. The developer is currently focused on squashing major bugs.