A new adventure game, Palland, has launched on Nintendo’s eShop, drawing attention for its notable similarities to Palworld. The release comes at a curious moment, as Nintendo continues its legal battle against Pocketpair, the developer behind Palworld, over alleged plagiarism of the Pokemon franchise.
Palworld, which debuted in January 2024, quickly became a sensation, attracting two million concurrent Steam players during its launch month. Its popularity and stylistic resemblance to Pokemon drew Nintendo’s scrutiny, leading the console maker to file a lawsuit against Pocketpair. Recent reports indicate Nintendo even adjusted a key patent related to the dispute, adding another layer to the ongoing case.
Palland, developed by BoggySoft, shares several gameplay elements with Palworld. Screenshots and trailers reveal familiar mechanics such as collecting resources, crafting, battling creatures, base-building, exploration, and survival features. The game launched on July 31 for the original Switch, with backward compatibility for Switch 2, and is currently discounted at $3.99, down from $9.99.
The timing of Palland’s appearance on Nintendo’s digital store has raised eyebrows, given the ongoing lawsuit against Pocketpair. While clone games are not uncommon, this marks a rare instance of a lookalike gaining visibility on a major platform. As the Nintendo-Pocketpair legal saga approaches its one-year mark in September, it remains to be seen if Palland’s release will influence proceedings.
