Palworld modders have taken it upon themselves to restore gameplay mechanics that developer Pocketpair was forced to remove due to a patent lawsuit from Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. Last week, Pocketpair acknowledged that recent patches were a direct result of this ongoing litigation, confirming changes that players had suspected.

Launched early in 2024 on Steam for $30 and simultaneously on Game Pass for Xbox and PC, Palworld shattered sales and concurrent player records. The overwhelming success prompted Pocketpair's CEO, Takuro Mizobe, to admit that the developer struggled to manage the massive profits generated. Capitalizing on this success, Pocketpair swiftly signed a deal with Sony to create Palworld Entertainment, aimed at expanding the game's intellectual property. The game was later released on PS5.

Following Palworld's launch, comparisons were drawn between its creatures, called Pals, and Pokémon, leading to accusations of design plagiarism. However, instead of pursuing a copyright infringement lawsuit, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company opted for a patent infringement claim. They are seeking 5 million yen (approximately $32,846) each, plus damages for late payments, and an injunction to halt Palworld's release.

In November, Pocketpair confirmed it was being sued over three Japan-based patents related to capturing Pokémon in a virtual field. Palworld featured a similar mechanic, where players threw a Pal Sphere to capture monsters in a field, akin to the mechanics in the 2022 Nintendo Switch exclusive, Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

Six months later, Pocketpair admitted that Patch v0.3.11, released in November 2024, was a result of the legal action. This patch removed the ability to summon Pals by throwing Pal Spheres, replacing it with a static summon next to the player. Additional game mechanics were also altered. Pocketpair stated that without these changes, the gameplay experience would have deteriorated further.

Last week's Patch v0.5.5 further modified Palworld, changing gliding mechanics so that players must use a glider instead of Pals. Although Pals still offer passive gliding buffs, players now need a glider in their inventory to glide. Pocketpair described these modifications as "compromises" made to avoid an injunction that could block Palworld's development and sales.

Just a week after Patch v0.5.5, modders restored the original gliding feature with Primarinabee’s Glider Restoration mod, available on Nexus Mods. The mod essentially reverses the changes from the recent patch, requiring a glider in the inventory but allowing players to glide with their Pals. Released on May 10, it has been downloaded hundreds of times. Another mod attempts to restore the throw-to-release Pals mechanic but does not include the original ball-throwing animation.

The future availability of the Glider Restoration mod remains uncertain due to the ongoing lawsuit. At the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in March, IGN interviewed John "Bucky" Buckley, communications director and publishing manager for Pocketpair. During his talk, 'Community Management Summit: A Palworld Roller Coaster: Surviving the Drop,' Buckley discussed Palworld's challenges, including accusations of using generative AI and stealing Pokémon models, which have since been debunked. He also touched on the unexpected nature of Nintendo's patent infringement lawsuit.