Given the similarity of Palworld to Pokémon, it didn't take long for users to get to work and create mods to bring Ash, Pikachu, and characters from the multimillion-dollar IP into the indie game. It was equally inevitable that Nintendo would take legal action, and modding communities have already drawn a line to avoid problems.
It is known that Nintendo is relentless when it comes to protecting its franchises, and of course, Pokémon was not going to be an exception. While Nintendo has not yet commented on the similarities between Palworld and Pokémon itself, a different story has been the work of a modder who mixed both franchises.
Modding Community Takes Precautions Regarding Palworld
After the first copyright claim by Nintendo was revealed, the leaders of the Palworld modding community have just taken precautionary measures against possible collateral effects that could result in the complete closure of the community in case it is associated with the Pokémon mod.
"While memes and others are hilarious, the Pokémon mod alone represents a huge risk for the community, and we will have to take precautions so that Nintendo's lawyers don't wipe us all out with legal actions. It is very likely that the mod uses copied assets, and it is very illegal in the eyes of Nintendo," said the community administrator on Discord, Archery 100.
According to the details (via Games Radar), it is only allowed to mention the mods in question or discuss them, but not to share them through links. Users who violate this rule will be banned immediately from the community.
Nexus Mods Doesn't Want Pokémon and Palworld to Cause Problems with Nintendo
One of the most popular game modding sites, Nexus Mods, has also taken action
The head of the Nexus Mods community, Mathew Elliott, revealed that the site is not "comfortable" hosting this content and that it "isn't worth it" to risk allowing it to be shared in their community, as they would have to deal with the "headaches" of copyright claims/legal threats from Nintendo.
"As you'll know, Nintendo (which co-owns the Pokémon franchise) has a consistent track record of legal challenges, copyright claims, and ruthless takedowns against fan-created content," explained Elliott. "Given the similarity of Palworld to the Pokémon franchise as the base game, hosting content that adds copyrighted characters or assets to the game will almost certainly put us at risk of legal action."
It is important to clarify that Palworld mods' content will continue to exist and be hosted on Nexus Mods; what will not be allowed on the site are those related to Pokémon.
What do you think of the modding community's stance on Palworld and the Pokémon mod? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Palworld is available in Early Access on Xbox Series X|S consoles and PC.
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