Nintendo Denied Japanese Patent For Pokemon-Like Capturing Mechanic

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Nintendo recently received a US patent in September that protects the core idea of having characters fight each other in a video game. Many believed this was to prevent games similar to Pokémon, such as Palworld, from being created. While Nintendo also applied for a similar patent in Japan, their request was denied.

Nintendo recently tried to patent a gameplay feature where players throw an item to capture characters – similar to how Pokeballs work in Pokemon. However, as Video Games Chronicle reported, the patent was rejected. Another company provided evidence showing that this capture mechanic already exists in several other games, including Ark, Craftopia, and Monster Hunter 4, proving it wasn’t a unique invention by Nintendo.

GamesFray was the first to point out the rejection, suggesting that Pocketpair, the company that made Palworld, might be involved. While this seems likely, it’s currently just a guess. Pocketpair is already facing a lawsuit from Nintendo, which claims Palworld copies some of Nintendo’s patented technology. As a result of this legal issue, Pocketpair removed certain features from Palworld, like Pal Spheres, to avoid further conflict over those patents.

So, after Nintendo filed that patent in the US last month, I was reading what Michael Douse from Larian Studios – the folks who made Baldur’s Gate 3 – had to say. He basically pointed out that patents like that are often used to cause problems for other developers, and not for any real innovation.

Nintendo can still challenge the recent decision from the Japanese Patent Office, though it’s unclear if they will. Their latest Pokémon game, Pokémon Legends Z-A, came out earlier this month for both the Switch and the new Switch 2.

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2025-10-30 19:10