Former Chief Legal Officer of The Pokemon Company, Don McGowan, has dismissed Palworld as "ripoff nonsense." McGowan, who oversaw legal affairs for The Pokemon Company for 12 years, expressed surprise at Palworld's success. While The Pokemon Company has yet to comment on Palworld, outspoken fans persist in claiming that the game blatantly copies numerous Pokemon creature designs.
McGowan's stance aligns with the sentiments of some vocal Pokemon enthusiasts who criticize Palworld. Despite the game sharing gameplay footage for years before its early access release, The Pokemon Company has refrained from making any legal moves against Palworld. Whether this decision stems from a lack of conviction in a copyright infringement case against PocketPair or for other reasons remains unclear. Nevertheless, it is evident that the conglomerate has been aware of Palworld and its resemblances to Pokemon for an extended period.
This looks like the usual ripoff nonsense that I would see a thousand times a year when I was Chief Legal Officer of Pokemon. I’m just surprised it got this far.