Palworld is the hottest thing in gaming right now, and though the game has had quite a bit of success, it has also aroused a lot of controversy, with many suggesting that the studio may have stolen from Nintendo’s Pokemon franchise. Despite some saying the similarities are due to the artists being inspired, it would appear that some Pals may indeed directly ripped off work from Pokemon. 

The “Pokemon Ripoff” May Have Actually Ripped Off Pokemon Designs

Described as “Pokemon with guns,” Palworld quickly took the world by storm, garnering over 5 million in sales in just a few short days. It’s a success story that many dream of, though, as with all successful things, controversy was quick to follow, with many claiming that the studio stole assets from the Pokemon franchise. 

Such claims remained without evidence, with many chalking the similarities as simply being an inspired take. However, one X user, Cecilia Fae, has taken it upon themselves to shift through more than 100 Pal characters, comparing them to their inspired Pokemon counterparts. A few of those comparisons can be seen below.

I went through the entire 111 list of Pals in Palworld to see what seems like a Pokémon rip off compared to not, because I’ve seen a lot of people talk about it but no full comprehensive list. Here’s what I found (it’s a lot) 🧵 pic.twitter.com/EPSpBvC9hD

— Cecilia Fae 🍂 (@CeciliaFae) January 21, 2024

2. This one, also posted a lot on Twitter. Exact same face, same teeth placement, white and yellow eyes, identical pic.twitter.com/asmlDfHlTL

— Cecilia Fae 🍂 (@CeciliaFae) January 21, 2024

4. Mega aggron’s body inspired, the helmet and teeth and eyes tucked away especially highlight this pic.twitter.com/0fog3mFPk1

— Cecilia Fae 🍂 (@CeciliaFae) January 21, 2024

6. Garchomp’s model but reminds me of Toxtricity as well pic.twitter.com/Wc6kIXmW4g

— Cecilia Fae 🍂 (@CeciliaFae) January 21, 2024

11. Going beyond that thread into just what I saw when I was looking at the list, this is woolo’s design pic.twitter.com/rbNR0zEZ6m

— Cecilia Fae 🍂 (@CeciliaFae) January 21, 2024

14. Lycanroc pic.twitter.com/Tt8SCWkr2c

— Cecilia Fae 🍂 (@CeciliaFae) January 21, 2024

38. Pansage pic.twitter.com/rwl0CCvjb5

— Cecilia Fae 🍂 (@CeciliaFae) January 21, 2024

They aren’t 100% rips, of course, but if you look closely, you can spot near identical designs that appear to have been lifted for the Pal versions. But the comparisons don’t end there.

Trouble In Palworld?

Okay, so maybe that wasn’t enough evidence for you. Well, this next batch may change your mind, as X user, Byo Frog, took things up a notch and ripped the models from Palworld and compared them to those found in Scarlet and Violet. The results? Models that line up in near-exact proportions. This caught the eyes of game designer Eric Covington (who previously worked at Blizzard Entertainment and PlayStation), who stated that this is “practically impossible” to achieve by accident. 

To “accidentally” create a complex model mesh with so near-exact proportions is practically impossible. To repeat that improbability throughout your roster… doesn’t pass the sniff test. #Palworld #Pokemon

(Media credit: @byofrog) pic.twitter.com/IiSEe7MCDq

— Eric Covington (@covingtown) January 22, 2024

VGC collaborated with that statement from two anonymous AAA artists, who provided them with the following comments:

“You cannot, in any way, accidentally get the same proportions on multiple models from another game without ripping the models. Or at the very least, tracing them meticulously first…I would stand in court to testify as an expert on this.

To give you an idea of how impossible this is, sometimes we have to copy one mesh to another when we make sequels to games, for example, redrawing an NPC from one game to another, and even when we rework those old models, they only SOMETIMES match this closely due to rigging changes that might need to happen.

There have been times when dozens of artists are given the same concept art to create a 3D model, for example, during art tests for jobs. I’ve seen 30 artists try to make the same horse using the exact schematics.

“None were as close to each other as these Palworld models are to the Pokémon models. None. The silhouettes and proportions here are near-perfect matches.”

With some dismissing this evidence due to Nintendo being a multi-billion dollar company, it’s important to understand that the artists who made these designs aren’t among the rich. Not that stealing one’s work is good under any circumstances, as even Game Freak has been accused of stealing fan-made designs.  

We aren’t sure what to think of this whole thing, but the evidence is pretty damning. Whether or not Nintendo takes legal action is up in the air, though we’re sure they’re combing through Palworld to build a case if they plan on pursuing action. 

What are your thoughts on this whole thing? Did Pocketpair Inc. steal from Game Freak?