Palworld Addresses AI and Pokémon ‘Plagiarism’ Controversy Amid Record-Breaking Launch

Controversy around deceitful AI practices has become top of mind for consumers once again.

Palworld, the latest survival game from Japanese studio Pocketpair, has found itself in the middle of negative discourse surrounding allegations of plagiarism in character designs similar to those of Pokémon.

The accusations gained traction on social media platforms, with users pointing out similarities and raising concerns about the developer's history with generative AI tools.

The game, which launched into early access on PC and Xbox, achieved notable success, boasting 2 million sales within the first 24 hours.

However, the success also reignited discussions about the similarities between Palworld's 'Pals' and Pokémon characters.

Key takeaways

• Palworld's director and CEO of Pocketpair, Takuro Mizobe, posted a statement asking for online abuse towards the game's artists to cease.
• In the same statement, Mizobe does not deny influence and inspiration from Pokémon/
• The controversy is further complicated by Pocketpair's historical connection with generative AI tools.

“AI usage continues to draw scrutiny, raised attention, and consumers eager to point out each and every perceived act of deception,” says Chelsea Alves , a Consultant at UNmiss.

“This has been made evident by the recent AI misuse callouts from other renowned businesses such as Sports Illustrated and the New York Times lawsuit against OpenAI.

It’s becoming more clear than ever before that companies must become attuned to the needs and desires of consumers around AI usage to avoid negative media attention.”

This isn’t the first time Pocketpair has come under fire for its use of generative AI tools.

The studio's previous title, 'AI: Art Imposter,' utilized an AI image generator as a core mechanic.

Social media users pointed to historical posts by Mizobe, praising the potential of AI image generators for content creation, and discussing the use of AI in generating Pokémon designs.

While these posts don't necessarily prove the use of AI in Palworld's designs, they have led to speculation, especially considering the relatively inexperienced team behind Palworld, some of whom were just starting their careers before joining the project.?

Palworld, which is described as an "action-adventure survival game," allows players to battle and capture “Pals” for base building, traversal, and combat.

Despite the plagiarism accusations, the game has received very positive reviews on Steam.

In light of the EU's move to regulate generative AI in Europe and Valve's recent rule change on disclosing AI-generated assets on Steam, it’s becoming increasingly important for the gaming industry to carefully consider its AI usage amid growing scrutiny regarding the use of such technologies.

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