Summary
In a surprise move,Palworlddeveloper Pocketpair has launched its 2019 titleOverDungeonon the Nintendo eShop. Pocketpair has been under fire for months afterPalworldwas accused of patent infringement by Nintendo and The Pokemon Company.
In September 2024, Nintendo and The Pokemon Company sued Pocketpair over its popular monster-taming gamePalworld. According to the plaintiffs,Palworld’s Pal Spheres, which work similar to Pokeballs, infringed some ofPokemon’s creature-capturing system patents. The lawsuit caused controversy within the gaming industry. Pocketpair previously stated that the situation was “unfortunate,” but assured the company would follow the investigation procedures. Despite the lawsuit,Palworldreleased a huge updatein December, which spiked its number of concurrent Steam players. Now, in what seems to be another bold move, Pocketpair has launched another game on the Nintendo eShop.
On January 9, Pocketpair unexpectedly releasedOverDungeonfor Nintendo Switch consoles. Launched initially only on Steam in 2019, OverDungeon is an action card game with tower defense and roguelike mechanics, according to the game’s description onthe Nintendo eShop. This is Pocketpair’s first game for the Switch, yet the company gave no previous announcements about the launch. However, Pocketpair has confirmed thatOverDungeonis on sale with 50% off until January 24 to celebrate its Nintendo Switch debut. Considering thatPalworldis available on PS5 and Xbox, it is unclear why developers decided to go for the Nintendo eShop inOverDungeon’s case. On social media, some users think it could be anotherresponse from Pocketpair to Nintendo’s lawsuit.
Pocketpair Launches Its First Nintendo Switch Game Amid Lawsuit
WhilePalworldis by far Pocketpair’s most famous game, it’s not the first to be compared to a Nintendo title. In 2020,Pocketpair releasedCraftopia, an RPG that looked very similar toThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The game continues to receive updates on Steam, though, as it did in December. On the other hand, developers have been consistently promotingPalworldeven after the lawsuit. The game also announced a collaboration withTerraria. The first part of this crossover came with the addition of a new Pal named Meowmeow, but Pocketpair confirmed that there will be moreTerraria-related content throughout 2025.
Since the lawsuit was revealed, the parties involved have shared almost no further information. Some patent experts have said thatNintendo’sPalworldlawsuit could last for yearsif no settlement is reached. Aside from theTerrariacollaboration, Pocketpair has teased more plans forPalworldin 2025, including a Mac port and a potential Mobile one as well.
Palworld
WHERE TO PLAY
In this game, you may peacefully live alongside mysterious creatures known as Pals or risk your life to drive off a ruthless poaching syndicate. Pals can be used to fight and breed, or they can be made to work on farms or factories. You can even sell them or eat them.Survival: In a harsh environment where food is scarce and vicious poachers roam, danger waits around every corner. To survive, you must tread carefully and make difficult choices…even if that means eating your own Pals when the time comes.Mounts & Exploration: Pals can be mounted to traverse the land, sea and sky—allowing you to traverse all kinds of environment as you explore the world.Collect all kinds of exciting Pals to fight, farm, build, and work for you in this completely new multiplayer, open world survival and crafting game!
