Palworld: The Controversial Pokémon-Inspired Game Attracting Millions

According to Decrypt, Palworld, a Pokémon-inspired game developed by Pocketpair, has sold over six million copies since its launch on January 19. The game has attracted more than a million concurrent players on Steam and over 300,000 viewers on Twitch. Palworld is an open-world survival game where players capture colorful 'Pals,' harvest materials, and build bases to put their Pals to work. The game has drawn controversy due to its similarities to Pokémon, with some players expecting a Nintendo lawsuit. However, Nintendo has not filed any suits against the game's creators but did file a takedown strike against a streamer who created a Palworld mod featuring actual Pokémon. Palworld has been compared to a 'vampire attack' in the crypto industry, as it has captured Nintendo's player base by offering a more adult, unhinged version of the monster-catching experience. This approach of prioritizing product quality over brand equity is reminiscent of the crypto industry's permissionless nature, where developers and token-powered protocols compete for users and speculators.