While Nintendo’s recent patents might have created some cause for concern, especially for fans of Pocketpair’s Palworld, the patents don’t seem to be squarely aimed at taking the latter down. According to Japanese patent attorney Kiyoshi Kurihara through Yahoo Japan, the purpose for these patents is altogether different.
According to Kurihara, patent applications like Nintendo’s recent ones are routine in the corporate world. He notes that companies tend to submit broad and narrow patent claims, expecting the broader ones will get rejected anyway. The narrow patents submitted tend to have better chances of being approved.
Kurihara refers to the fact that out of the 23 patents Nintendo was trying to register, only one was approved. These patents revolved around a player being able to ride in-game characters, such as mounts, to traverse the world. This mechanic, while present in the Pokemon games, is also seen in quite a few other titles, including heavy-hitters like MMORPG World of Warcraft.
Incidentally, Nintendo also recently got a patent for gameplay mechanics that would involve a player capturing characters in a game by using various items on them. The patent also described different “modes” a player could enter, with one of these “modes” giving the player detailed information about their target.
The patent can be used to describe the Pokémon Legends series, which features Pokémon Legends: Arceus and the upcoming Pokémon Legends: Z-A. What this means for Nintendo’s legal battles against Pocketpair remains to be seen.
