Japanese developer Pocket Pair has released a new update for Palworld that effectively removes the Pal Spheres from the game.
The new v0.3.11 update for the game has removed the ability to summon Pals by throwing a Pal Sphere. Now, players summon their Pals by holding out the Pal Sphere, which summons their Pals directly next to them.
Before the update, players could throw their Pal Spheres out to summon their Pals much like in another popular monster collecting game series, Pokemon. Many fans speculate this similarity may have influenced the recent changes.
Nintendo’s ongoing lawsuit with Palworld developer Pocket Pair seeks an injunction and damages totaling roughly 10 million JPY (approximately $65,000 USD). The injunction aims to pull Palworld from the market due to alleged similarities in the game to patents Nintendo filed.
All three seemingly appear to be versions of the same patent – protecting the gameplay concept of using a projectile to spawn a creature in a 3D environment, with the creature then engaging in combat on the player’s behalf.
It’s now evident why Pocket Pair likely removed this feature,but the developer has not publicly explained the decision. Confusingly, the ability to throw Pal Spheres for catching Pals remains in the game, leading to speculation that Nintendo has not yet patented that aspect.
The change has been largely unpopular among fans, as many strategically used the ability to throw Pal Spheres to avoid enemy attacks. The previous method also allowed players to position their Pals effectively for combat.
It’s conceivable that Pocket Pair removed this gameplay mechanic to preemptively mitigate the risks associated with the lawsuit; if Nintendo prevails, they could face pressure to eliminate the functionality or potentially take Palworld off the market.
Palworld was released in January 2024 for Windows PC (through Steam and the Microsoft Store), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.The game has also been available on Xbox Game Pass since its launch.