Nintendo has recently obtained a patent that outlines a system for summoning characters to engage in combat with opponents. The broad scope of this patent, acquired during Nintendo's high-profile intellectual property dispute with Palworld, has raised alarms among industry analysts who warn it could potentially threaten innovation across the entire video game sector.

In September 2024, The Pokemon Company and Nintendo jointly filed a lawsuit against Pocketpair, the developer behind Palworld, alleging that the game infringes upon three of their patents. The legal action focuses on creature-capture and ride-switching mechanics. Although the case was initially filed in Japanese courts, Nintendo has been simultaneously pursuing similar patent protections in the United States, indicating the possibility of international legal expansion.

On September 2nd, the Japanese gaming giant was granted U.S. Patent No. 12,403,397, which covers a comprehensive implementation of character summoning systems for combat scenarios. The patent was first identified by Florian Mueller, a patent analyst at Games Fray, who described the grant as "not merely concerning but genuinely alarming" in its potential to stifle creative development throughout the video game industry.

The recently acquired Nintendo patent describes a system that enables players to control a primary character, summon secondary "support characters," and initiate combat based on the summoned character's positioning. If the support character appears near an enemy, players can manually initiate battle sequences. If not, the character automatically moves toward player-designated directions after secondary input, engaging in combat automatically upon enemy contact. The patent specifically requires all mentioned mechanics—character movement, summoning procedures, location-based combat initiation, and secondary directional inputs—making it applicable to specific mechanic combinations rather than all summoning systems generally. Despite this specificity, the patent's scope remains notably broad.

Patent 12,403,397 does not appear directly connected to the ongoing Pocketpair litigation. Granted in a different legal jurisdiction than where Nintendo's Palworld lawsuit is proceeding, its claims only partially align with features found in Palworld. Nevertheless, Mueller characterized it as "posing a fundamental threat to creative development and innovation within the gaming industry." While Nintendo's intentions regarding enforcement remain uncertain, the mere acquisition of such broad patent protection represents concerning news for the industry overall, according to the analyst's assessment.

Separately, as of September 9th, Nintendo also holds U.S. Patent No. 12,409,387, which covers creature-switching mechanics central to the Palworld lawsuit. This development brings the company closer to potential legal action against Pocketpair in American courts should they pursue similar claims internationally. Earlier in 2025, Pocketpair mounted a comprehensive defense against Nintendo's patent infringement allegations, challenging both the validity of the disputed patents and maintaining that their game does not infringe upon them.

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