Is Palworld A Pokémon Rip-Off?

by Margarette Shute on September 16, 2025

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Summary

Palworld _ is undeniably similar to **_Pokémon ** , but whether it's a total rip-off is another question entirely. Like Pokémon , it's a title that revolves around catching cute and dangerous creatures, and using them to achieve various goals. While this kind of gameplay wasn't necessarily invented by, and isn't even unique to Pokémon , the iconic series is the first thing that comes to mind on hearing " monster-catching video game ." That was only worsened by early previews of Palworld , which showed off Pal-catching devices and animations that strongly resemble Poké Balls.

Sure, the two have things in common, but the concept of monster catching and battling isn't even unique to Pokémon . Palworld isn't the only Pokémon -like game that's been released in recent years to a solid player base and a lot of love. These games have put their own spin on the genre and propelled themselves to be unique, enjoyable titles, not just Pokémon clones. In fact, some even prefer these titles to Pokémon for the refreshing new ideas they've brought to monster-catching gameplay. But does Palworld do enough to set itself apart?

What Do Palworld And Pokémon Have In Common?

<a href="https://Palworldcorner.com/">Palworld base building</a>'s Creature Design Controversy Explained

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Beyond the gameplay, the major concern with Palworld and Pokémon is the similarities between their respective monster designs. Players like Cecilia Fae on X (formerly Twitter) have pointed out the many ways in which several Pals resemble Pokémon, either in individual design elements or in overall concepts, **with many accusing Palworld of plagiarizing (or less severely, ripping off) Pokémon 's in-game assets ** .

Others on X draw attention to another point of comparison: several Pals have the exact same bodily proportions as similar Pokémon . Tweets by Eric Covington compare assets ripped directly from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet to those from Palworld , including the Pokémon Lycanroc and the Pal Direhowl, in 3D modelling software Blender. An anonymous character artist responding to these accusations is quoted in an article by Video Games Chronicle as saying, " 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 ."

For <a href="https://Palworldcorner.com/">Https://Palworldcorner.Com</a>; his part, Takuro Mizobe, CEO of Pocket Pair Inc. (which developed Palworld ), has responded in a tweet of his own. As translated from the original Japanese in the same article by VGC , Mizobe asked critics to refrain from making slanderous comments against the artists who worked on Palworld , taking full responsibility for the designs as one of many people responsible for approving of them.

" While we have received various opinions about Palworld, " __ Mizobe tweeted, " it is important to note that the supervision of all materials related to Palworld is conducted by a team, including myself. I bear the responsibility for the produced materials. I would appreciate it if these comments towards artists involved in Palworld would cease. "

While he didn't directly address accusations of plagiarism, Mizobe does take the responsibility for the end result, and claims to have the best interests of Palworld 's artists at the forefront of his concern. The exact design process of Palworld 's monsters remains unknown, and so for the time being, this remains a controversy between social media observers and the developers of Palworld . No one involved in The Pokémon Company, Nintendo, or Game Freak has responded to the situation at the time of writing. <img src="https://img.game-news24.com/2024/02/The-Mossanda-Prime-Mission-like-God-Game-player-in-Palworld-becomes-unstoppable.webp"; style="max-width:450px;float:left;padding:10px 10px 10px 0px;border:0px;" alt="The Mossanda Prime Mission-like God Game player in Palworld becomes unstoppable - Game News 24" />

What Separates Palworld From Pokémon?

Pokémon uses turn-based strategy RPG gameplay mechanics at its core, with its combat an iconic factor in the gameplay. The only similarity in genre that Palworld shares with Pokémon is the capturing of creatures. In its description on Steam, Palworld describes itself as "a multiplayer open-world survival crafting monster breeding game," which already sets it apart in terms of genre. Palworld has similarities with Pokémon , but it also shares gameplay mechanics with titles like Ark: Survival Evolved and Rust .

In short, **Palworld is an open-world survival multiplayer game ** , for everything that means, which Pokémon decidedly is not. Pokémon has some free exploration, and the most recent games in the series, Scarlet and Violet , are technically open world. Multiplayer has also always been a part of the Pokémon series, but the way it approaches multiplayer is decidedly distinct from Palworld . Pokémon multiplayer is limited to one-on-one battles, where Palworld takes place in a persistent, massively multiplayer world. Survival elements, meanwhile, have never been a part of Pokémon , and speak more to Palworld 's Ark DNA.

The treatment of the creatures in both games is also vastly different. In Pokémon , Trainers capture Pokémon, battle them, and form close bonds with them. According to its Steam store page, <a href="https://Palworldcorner.com/">Palworld tips</a> players are able to "meet, catch, breed, fight, work with, sell, dismantle, and even eat" the mysterious creatures of the world known as Pals. Palworld does have many more options to interact with its creatures, even if it's not always pleasant. **It has a darker overall tone than Pokémon ** , which is always framed as a family-friendly adventure in a semi-utopian world.

Palworld even has the player character shooting guns, with the Pals right alongside them using firearms such as pistols, turrets, and rocket launchers. Palworld depicts a level of violence that the Pokémon series will likely never equal, which does do a lot to set it apart.

Overall, Palworld dares to do what Pokémon won't , pushing the boundaries for the creature-capturing genre of games while allegedly reusing familiar creature designs. It's definitely not trying to pass itself off as a completely original game: it acknowledges its inspirations from the monster-catching and survival games that came before it. Palworld has many gameplay elements similar to Pokémon , but a greater level of interactivity with the creatures. Ultimately, it falls somewhere in between Ark: Survival Evolved and Pokémon ** in its open-world, survival, monster-catching gameplay. _Palworld** _ is definitely not a total rip-off, although the design similarities have raised questions.

Source: @CeciliaFae/X , @covingtown/X , Video Games Chronicle

Palworld

__

10.0 /10

Released

January 19, 2024

ESRB

T For Teen Due To Violence

Developer(s)

Pocket Pair, Inc.

Publisher(s)

Pocket Pair, Inc.

Platform(s)

PC , PlayStation 5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X

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