What is Palworld, the Pokémon-like at the center of many controversies?

Recently available in early access on Steam and on Microsoft’s Gamepass, the Palworld game has attracted the wrath of many users. Pokémon plagiarism, use of AI, presence of NFTs… We take stock.

It’s a dazzling success that no one really expected: Palworld, a video game available on PC and Xbox consoles on January 19, is breaking numerous records since its early access release. With more than 6 million copies sold (according to the publisher) and 1.5 million users in real time, the title has already established itself as one of the biggest hits of the year 2024 and one of the most sold games on the Steam gaming platform.

The phenomenal success of Palworld is also accompanied by numerous controversies. His studio, Pocketpair, is under fire for its more than controversial positions. We summarize the whole affair for you.

Is Palworld just a huge plagiarism of Pokémon?

Palworld is an open-world online game where players can build their bases, create equipment, weapons, and most importantly, capture Pals. These adorable creatures, numbering 111, populate the world of Palworld and can be captured to assist players, participate in ongoing construction projects or fight against other Pals.

This last part of Palworld’s gameplay is reminiscent of another successful franchise: Pokémon. But beyond the very principle of capturing and collecting pocket monsters, Palworld is more outrageous with its creatures (very) inspired by others that come from Pokémon.

Given the many similarities between certain Pals and Pokémon, it is difficult to deny that the creators of Palworld took great inspiration from the famous Japanese game series to create their own little monsters to capture. The studio has, however, already spoken out on the subject, stating that Nintendo had not made any form of complaint or legal action against Palworld. Studio head Takuro Mizobe also said that the studio “has no intention of copying the intellectual property of other companies.”

Is Palworld an AI game?

The other major controversy that has been growing for days concerns the use of artificial intelligence within Palworld. Several Internet users accuse the Pocketpair studio of having used AI, to the detriment of real game designers, in order to create the world and textures of Palworld. This would notably allow the studio to create the different Pals models while saving time and money, but would pose a serious ethical problem in the video game industry.

Mizobe did not directly deny accusations of AI within Palworld. The director of the studio, however, wanted to calm the ardor of Internet users and various threats received by the designers of the title: “Currently we are receiving defamatory comments against our artists and we are seeing tweets that sound like death threats. I have received various opinions regarding Palworld, but all productions related to Palworld are overseen by several people, including myself , and I am responsible for production. I would appreciate it if you would refrain from slandering the artists involved in Palworld.”

This is not the first time that the Pocketpair studio has been accused of using artificial intelligence in its games. Its leader, Takuro Mizobe, has already expressed several times about his interest in AI in the creation of video games. One of the studio’s previous games, “AI: Art Impostor” relies in particular on artificial intelligence.

At present, however, there is no concrete evidence that Palworld was created using artificial intelligence. The game is notably available on the Steam platform, whose conditions of use require studios to declare whether their games use AI or not.

Does Palworld include NFTs in its game?

Aside from accusations of using AI, Palworld is also accused of using NFTs (non-fungible token). This “digital certificate” technology has long been criticized for its unfortunate tendency to conceal dubious uses, pyramid schemes and scams of all kinds.

NFT’s accusations against Palworld echo the positions of the studio’s creator. Takuro Mizobe has already expressed his interest in AI and NFTs in video games. These statements were enough for many Internet users to become outraged on the web and accuse Mizobe of wanting to develop NFTs within Palworld. At present, however, the game does not contain any evidence of an NFT or cryptocurrency project linked to the title. However, we will have to wait a little to see if the sudden success of Palworld encourages its studio to integrate such processes.