Palworld Devs Says They Have Received Death Threats Amid Pokémon 'Rip-Off' Claims

This game bites a lot of other games, but it's fun to play which is more than I can say for any Nintendo Pokemon game in recent memory.

Pokémon hasn't pushed the envelope at all. I think this game really shows what you can do with battle pets in an open world and Nintendo should take notes. Not necessarily breaking their format or making a survival crafter, but there's a lot of potential they ignore.
- Pokémon hasn’t tried anything new in decades because they don’t need to, Nintendo rakes in money from fans buying the same shit every year regardless so why out extra cost in to the product
- not necessarily breaking their format
  
  To some degree I'd honestly welcome that. Even if it's not going to be some Breath of the Wild quality spin-off, I just want more creativity.
I mean everyone's favorite game Stardew Valley is a Harvest Moon rip-off. Gotta shit or get off the pot Nintendo.
- And Minecraft was a Infinininer ripoff. Portal was a version of Narbacular Drop. These people are utterly out of touch with reality
If a game copies what another game does but does it better and/or gives it own spin on things (which PalWorld arguably does, considering that you can have your ~~Pokemon~~ Pals fight with machine weaponry and also ~~enslave~~ capture people as Pals), I don’t see how that can be a bad thing. Otherwise, people should be up in arms about every roguelike Metroidvania or Soulslike game.
- Yeah this is more of the pokemon fandom being deranged. Closest thing in memory was a few people complaining Bleak Faith stole some animations or something from Dark Souls.
  
  The whole thing was resolved without incident and nobody threatened to kill anyone either. Most people didnt even care.
- Yeah, people seem all over the place about whether a copied mechanic is "ripping off" or just a genre.
  
  These pokemon-likes have no more in common with Pokemon than Street Fighter with Virtua Fighter, Tekken, MK, KI, Fatal Fury, Guilty Gear, DBZ, or even Super Smash Bros... and about 2 dozen other games
- Exactly! The game is pretty great case study on how to combine different genres together and make them work, while also being a prime example of how really important theming is.
  
  I haven't actually played their previous game, Craftopia, but it looks like that both the "using animals in bases" and "catching animals into spheres" was there too, to the point where Palworlds are getting really close to just being mostly a reskin.
  
  But that illustrates really well how much does different theming works wonders for game feel. The mechanic while in Craftopia, with normal animals, wasn't really much of note. But just by simply reskinning them to a colorful monster collecting game, instead of regular animals, the game feel entirely different, the mechanic is way much more fun to interact with, and it completely changes the game.
  
  Sure, they did build some changes on top of how it worked in Craftopia, and switched the game around to be mostly build around it, but a lot of the elements remain the same, only in a different skin.
  
  And that's a really good case study in game and themic design, and I really love it.
  
  For that, I really like what they have done, and the game has been so far really fun, even while being only EA. Sure, they still have a long way to go, but I'm really interrested in what direction will they take the game, and I'm really glad they choose the mix of genres they did, and that they mixed and matched elements from other games in a clever fashion, where nothing feels like it was just slapped into the game just because it's popular. It's taking the best ideas from other games, and uses them to a great effect together.
  
  I also don't mind them choosing the traditional Pokemon visual style, because it's just the best fit for this kind of game. There is a reason why almost every Souls-like game looks like Dark Souls, because the atmosphere just fits into the mood and gameplay the genre is going for. The same can be said about monster collection games.
  
  However, I'm a little bit worried about some red flags raised about the studio - namely that their history with supporting and finishing EA projects is a little bit wonky (although, it can be explained by them coming up with Palworlds concept, and liking it so much that they just immediately switched over to obviously way, way better concept for a game), and also the fact that one of the developers was tweeting about how AI can be used to circumvent copyright by just letting it generate designs similar to other existing products, while making an example on Pokemon. That's not really a good look, when you're working on a game that is also a monster collecting game and you don't want to be accused of stealing design without making it yourself. And that, especially combined with the fact that Palwords is mostly just a re-skin of Craftopia that has been polished a little bit, may be a red flag that indicates that this may have indeed be just a quick attempt at low-effort cash-grab, where they threw Pokemons to AI to change them a little bit without taking any effort at designing original monsters.
  
  But none of that is a concrete proof, and I still believe and hope that instead of a cheap cash-grab, they really do love the game idea and are excited to work and iterate on it, and will not abandon the game for next project once the hype dies down. Time will tell, but I really hope that it's the latter.
- People keep saying that Nintendo is going to sue them or something, but remember digimon?
  
  Pokemon isn't even an original idea - they just took one aspect of the jrpg and took it further. There's been countless games that played with the same concept - they're very litigious, but they don't have any standing against a game that doesn't use their IP - and the concept is not their IP, the Pokemon are
- Shooting at Pokémon with assault rifles feels so wrong. It feels like a weird mod that doesn't match the core of the game.
  
  I just saw a 2 minute video to form that opinion, but I'll check more about it.
I'd pick I up if there was an actual storyline/something that needs to be accomplished and not just an open sandbox where the point is to just build and upgrade.
- Hopefully the devs roll that out eventually, especially after the initial success of the game.
- Yeah, I played a decent amount and quit when I realized the first boss isn't the lead-in to the story. I'll come back when there's more to it (especially since the Game Pass version is out of date).

Found a list of pal and Pokémon comparisons. And frankly, I think it just shows how lazy Pokémon has always been. Sure the two sheep monsters and the two stingray monsters look similar, but that's because stingrays and sheep actually exist!

Should we start in on gamefreak for ripping off reality?

I mean people are WAYYYYYY late in complaining about ripoffs... People are so fucking absurd I swear...
People comparing Piplup and the penguin pal and I'm like: they're PENGUINS. They're small PENGUINS, how the hell do you want them to not to look like each other!?
Wait, that's it? There are six carbon copy palkemons? Out of how many? Like, you expect there to be some similar ones. Homages thrown in there.
- https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GEYrZuzXUAAjpkB?format=jpg&name=large
  
  Ooops.
That article sounds as if it was written by an AI
A lot of them are really blatant, there's a statue that's just Lucario, and one of the grass types is literally just Donphan

Honestly the gameplay loop itself reminds me more of Viva Pinata than Pokemon, and that's even with guns

Imagine sending death threats over Pokémon. What kind of pathetic clump of cells must they be to do that shit.

Nintendo fans are kinda weird.
- Having seen some of the stuff the fanbases for Undertale, CoD, and Warthunder have done, I'd say its more of a gamer thing then a particular groups fanbase.

Lots of controversy around this game. Gotta say, no one really cares. Well no one who doesn't find something to complain about each day on social media anyway. Dunno about you all, though I am fucking tired. So much shit just wrong nowadays and while I do my part where I can, when it comes to games I honestly just want to sit down and have fun. Palworld is fun. Lots of potential that is likely to be built upon and just enough depth right now that I can hop into the world and actually feel just a bit of that original wonder from so many years ago. Something our old pals Game Freak and Nintendo have, much like Nvidia did years ago, purposefully opted to barely refresh the concept as time has gone on.

There have been plenty of fanmade Pokemon games that have done it better than the devs of the actual, official, licensed main games. Hell, there have been sideloaded Pokemon titles better than the cash grabs of the last few years. I for one hope Palworld lights a positive "better-than-thou" fire under Nintendo. The literal best move they could make now, imho, is run with the larger community response and release something truly mildblowing.

it's also working counter productive to their cause. I originally wasn't going to play, I came across the game soley from the posts on imitating pokemon, I tried it via gamepass and fell in love with the game so I bought it on steam. I originally was just going to skip it, the publicity on the game is what pushed me over. The saying "No PR is Bad PR" can be true at times.
How did 40+ people upvote this?
- I just hit the little up arrow. It was pretty easy, actually.

At least people are coming to defend Nintendo, a 10 trillion dollar multinational company, I would feel bad if the only people defending Nintendo were their army of famously aggressive lawyers.

I literally can't fathom sending a death threat. It would take an effort to come up with the content of the threat. And that assuming I'd be so angry that I'd decide to threaten someone. It's just so much effort, first to get angry enough and then express that anger in the form of a threat and then find a way to send that threat to the outlet person.

It actually makes me sad for the people who send those threats, because their lives must be so incomprehensibly shit to actually go through with it. They're still bags of dicks though.

I think you're overestimating the amount of effort that it takes to find someone's email or Twitter account and send them a message. And I pretty much guarantee that the kind of person that sends them has already been spewing that kind of hatred verbally, at a drop of a hat, for quite some time. It's not a creative process, it's just anger given a voice.
- I meant more like what it would take to become one of those people. I imagine after the first one it becomes much easier to send another.
- IDK, I would probably only be willing to put about 10s of effort into harassing anyone before I stop myself to decide if it's worth the effort.
  
  Then again, I don't have anger issues and am pretty chill in general.
They've become disturbingly common too.

Nintendo and Game Freak execs have wet dreams about developing a Pokemon game this interesting.

They haven't iterated on their formula since the first game. The 3D version could have been a 2D re-skin.

Gamefreak has absolutely 0 drive or desire to make an actual improved pokemon game, they have been carried by the IP for the past 20 years. Now if they get some competition... Maybe they will start dreaming
- My son just said the same thing. Game Freak are actually going to have to do some work!
The 3D version could have been a 2D re-skin.

I honestly wouldn't mind if they remade their 3D games into the GBA/DS era 2D style. It'd look better and more appropriate to the gameplay
- Radical Red is a Fire Red romhack that brings the new Pokemon and mechanics to the old GBA art style. It's the standard gen 1 story for the most part, but there are a ton of new features and a little story deviation at some points.
  
  I definitely recommend it for old Pokemon fans that are disappointed in the newer entries.

Just seems like enraged impotence engaged more than anything. I’d be more concerned about Pokemon Go players behind the wheel, if they’re still out there.

I still play, but only while I'm walking
- I totally support you, thank you for not endangering anyone.
- Have you tried MH Now? It fixes a few things in PoGo and I hope they bring them in. (Like the partner collects materials for you offline.)
In my friend circles, the passenger was responsible for playing for the driver.
- Teamwork is always good.

Ah yes, death threats, the dumbfuck mean of communication.

If you're getting death threats, that means you've made it. Your project is popular enough for the sociopaths to reach out.

So as long as you're not getting DMCA requests, keep doing what you're doing.

Pokemon? You mean the Shin Megami Tensei rip-off?

If anything, they're ripping off Digimon.

Palworld has done better than Nintendo has been with characters lately.

Have you seen the latest gen? ~~Flamenco~~ Flamigo? ... seriously?

Seel was gen 1. Every gen since the beginning has had boring filler pokemon. I've been a singles competitive player since the end of gen 4 though so my opinion might not matter as much.
- Earlier gens had some originality. Nidoking, Polywhirl, Alakazam, Machamp. What are some more original looking Pokémon from the later gens? They all looked like a dog with a seed in his mouth tier when I glossed through them
"OBJECTMON ARE STUPID! GAMEFREAK WOULDN'T DO THIS IN THE GOLDEN ERA" - Voltorb says hi, and Sudowoodo is literally a bug being a tree

"REAL WORLD ANIMALS ARE LAZY! GAMEFREAK WOULDn'T DO THIS IN A REAL POKEMON GAME!" - Seel says hi

"Okay, that's just food, but now it's an animal." - Diglett looks more like a hotdog than a mole, let's be honest here.. but if you want something more direct Eggsecute
- Sudowoodo always cracks me up.
  
  I imagine them in a meeting room
  
  "We need a unique twist in this 2nd gen. Something to catch the players off guard"
  
  "What if we made a grass pokemon rock type heheh"
  
  "What was that?!"
  
  "What if we made a grass pokemon rock type? ... Y'know, most people pick fi.."
  
  "That might actually work!! Genius! Who hired them?"
Do you mean Flamigo?
- Whoops. Yes you're right 🤦‍♂️

Sadly, this is normal online. Many people with some sort of exposure online will receive death threads. Some communities are more prone to it than others.

Pokémon, Sonic, Osu! and many Gacha Game communities, for example, have an unusual amount of crazy fans. When you attract their attention you will become a topic in their communities.

The list for game communities keeps going on, too lol. Some communities are way more toxic than others for some reason (looking at Undertale and League).

Ironically, communities with super hard games tend to be nicer and more willing to help out like Dark Souls or Assetto Corsa.

I'm having a blast playing this game. Too bad morons have to be morons and make the devs feel bad. You know who should feel bad? the devs that make Pokemon. The last 3 were trash.

They keep releasing trash because those garbage eaters buy two of every game.

Wait until those trolls hear about tamagachies.

I wanna see Nintendo publicly announce that palworld is like Pokemon. 🤣

It’s the internet, everyone gets death threats.

Wake me up when they send an IRL death threat.

Only tangentially related, but I just realised that now when I read "X got death threats", the assumption I jump to is that X is a terrible person/company trying to deflect from their terrible decisions/actions.

Not seemingly the case here, but Im left pondering how often this claim has been misused as an easy cop-out. WoTC, , etc.

You jump to blaming the victim? That's not a good place to start.
- Yeah, it should be the opposite. If X is getting death threats, that means X is successful. FOSS projects get that nonsense all the time, it's just a symptom of getting large enough for crazy people to notice.
  
  There's no real correlation between getting death threats and being "good/bad," if you make something that gets popular, you'll get death threats. There's no further meaning behind it.

Damn, I guess the monster designs aren't a ripoff, now that they've received death threats and clarified that the game isn't a copy of the Pokémon gameplay loop.

The dev admitted he copied a lot of games and the next game does look very similar to hollow knight. Doesn't deserve death threats though.
- Doesn't deserve death threats though.
  
  Nothing does and no one said anything to the contrary as far as I can tell.
Who cares about them looking like Pokemon?
- Clearly no one if the death threats aren't made up.
I recall the dev claims that the monster are inspired by Dragon Quest.

...and Pokemon itself has a lot of monster that basically inspired by Dragon Quest as well.

Also, huge chunks of design are basically based of common monster design in Japan or Chinese mythology. Unfortunately, Western fans don't know the reference, and claims it was ripped-off from Pokemon.
- Iirc the head creator of Pokemon has actually explicitly said that Dragon Quest V was a major inspiration for Pokemon
- For those who've never played Dragon Quest... This image may help you out. And yes, Dragon Quest predates Pokemon by about a decade (1986 vs 1996). Long enough that kids during the Dragon Quest era would have seen/played the series and grown up and joined the Game Freak company as artists.
  
  https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GEYrZuzXUAAjpkB?format=jpg&name=large
- I have yet to see anything in that game that's not ripped from somewhere else. It's an incredibly derivative collection of successful concepts. Other studios doing the same thing, to a lesser extent, doesn't make it worthy of praise and other games have been called out for the same shit. Getting death threats unfortunately works like some kind of get ouf of jail free card for game studios, because social media is more obsessed with defending a company over the original criticism than any threats they received over it. Exactly like what's happening in this thread.