Wesley Yin-Poole
Guest
The Nintendo and The Pokémon Company’s ongoing patent infringement lawsuit against Pocketpair’s Palworld has stirred up much debate among game developers and players alike. However, former Capcom game developer Yoshiki Okamoto’s recent YouTube video, in which he made comments seemingly against Pocketpair and Palworld, has sparked a strong backlash from viewers.
Current chairman of the Japan Game Culture Foundation, Yoshiki Okamoto has worked in the game industry for over 40 years, with a varied resume which includes Street Fighter 2, the first Resident Evil, and hit mobile game Monster Strike. He also created the original concept for what would become Rockstar’s Red Dead Revolver.
In a YouTube video posted on his channel on September 27, Okamoto gave his opinions on the ongoing Nintendo vs. Pocketpair lawsuit, saying that Palworld had "crossed a line that should not be crossed, and I don't want the world to become a place where this kind of thing is acceptable."
Later in the video, Okamoto said that “if a settlement is reached with Nintendo, then I think it (Palworld) will become a game that is officially fine to play. However, it is currently a game that’s being sued so it’s unacceptable. By playing the game you are supporting it, so please don’t buy it.”
This comment and his labelling of Pocketpair as an “anti-xxxx” (Okamoto bleeped out and distorted the last kanji character of the word in both the audio and subtitle in the video) prompted a flood of criticism in the comments — and many did not hold back. The majority of commenters interpreted Okamoto’s half-obscured term as “hansha” or “anti-social force” (an abbreviated term often used to describe criminal organizations like the yakuza, and groups that operate in ways that go against the proper and/or legal way of doing things). One commenter pointed out that calling Pocketpair an “anti-social force” could be considered defamation. They then added, “On the other hand, your argument that ‘people should stop playing games with questionable content because this equates to supporting them’ is convincing,” before announcing that these words made them decide to quit playing Okamoto’s Monster Strike after nearly 20 years. Other user reactions included, “I think assuming something is bad just because it has been sued is wrong,” and, “No matter how much you dislike (Pocketpair and Palworld), calling them anti-social is crossing a line.”
Okamoto openly acknowledges that even though people have recommended it to him, he has never actually played Palworld, insisting: “I have no intention of playing the game or spending money on it.” He pointed out that Palworld had become a divisive topic, with people split into fan and hater camps, and confirmed that he is anti-Palworld. “But at the same time, I understand that there are fans out there,” he added.
In the video, Okamoto also expressed concern that if Pocketpair wins the lawsuit and is able to release the full version of the game, then copyright infringement may be seen as more acceptable if a game is perceived as interesting and gets good reviews. He also worried that this could potentially open the floodgates to the hard work of creators on other Nintendo series (like Mario, Zelda etc.) being more freely and overtly copied, especially with the use of generative AI.
However, commenters also pointed out that many games have used elements of previous titles made by other companies, noting that this includes games Okamoto worked on. People mentioned how Street Fighter 2 used similar elements to previous fighting games like Yie Ar Kung Fu, and how Monster Strike’s UI is similar to Puzzle & Dragons. “How can someone who has done things like that speak out against Palworld?” sad one commented. Others pointed out that Okamoto’s mention of generative AI risks feeding the false rumor (since debunked by Pocketpair) that developer used gen AI in the creation of Palworld.
Referencing the changes made to Palworld mechanics under dispute in the lawsuit, Okamoto predicted that Pocketpair have worked out some way to settle the matter with Nintendo, which is why it has announced a full, official release of the game. However, he noted that there is “no information” to properly confirm this at this time.
The Nintendo-Palworld lawsuit, which has been ongoing in Japan since its announcement in September 2024, involves three patents, two related to monster capture and release, and one related to riding characters. For more details, check out IGN’s coverage of the lawsuit, including why Nintendo re-wrote patents mid-case and Nintendo’s recent move to discount mods as "prior art." All the while, Nintendo has been busy obtaining patents — some of which IP lawyers said should never have been granted — as it develops its case against Pocketpair, which has vowed to defend itself in court.
Last month, Pocketpair announced Palworld: Palfarm just a week after Nintendo revealed fellow cozy farming sim Pokémon Pokopia. Pocketpair announced on September 16 that Palworld will be getting an official 1.0 release sometime in 2026.
At GDC in March, IGN sat down for an extended conversation with Pocketpair communications director and publishing manager John “Bucky” Buckley following his talk at the conference, 'Community Management Summit: A Palworld Roller Coaster: Surviving the Drop.' During that talk, Buckley went into candid detail about a number of Palworld’s struggles, especially the accusations of it using generative AI and stealing Pokemon’s models for its own Pals. He even commented on Nintendo’s patent infringement lawsuit against the studio, saying it “came as a shock” and was “something that no one even considered.”
Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.