Nintendo's Pokeball patent could be at the heart of its Palworld lawsuit, and judging by a 29-year-old precedent it could change monster-collecting RPGs for decades

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Pocketpair) While Palworld initially came under close scrutiny due to thesimilarities its creature designs shared with various Pokemon, it seemsNintendo has given up that line of attack with this patent lawsuit. If Nintendo were concerned about what Pals look like, this would likely be a copyright lawsuit. A patent lawsuit suggests that Nintendo’s got exclusive rights on some game mechanic that appears in Palworld, but the publisher hasn’t been specific about what those patents entail. AsPolygonreports, Nintendo filed for a patent on Pokeball mechanics back in 2021. In more technical language, it covers aiming and throwing an item to capture a character in the field, and then aiming and throwing an item to send that creature into battle. This is, of course, very similar to how youcatch Pals in Palworld. The patent appears to specifically be about throwing an …