What goes around comes around is a quote Nintendo might want to take to heart. Why? Because after suing Palworld for allegedly infringing on its patents, Nintendo may now find itself facing a lawsuit as well. And none other than from Ubisoft.
While Palworld adapted its mechanics to avoid further legal trouble, this legal action has set a precedent that could allow Ubisoft to claim that Breath of the Wild copied a key gameplay mechanic from Assassin’s Creed.
Highlighting if Nintendo is willing to sue others over game features, it could soon be the target of similar legal action itself.
Is Nintendo setting a dangerous trend?
Let’s clarify the context first. In Assassin’s Creed, players climb high vantage points to synchronize with the environment, which unlocks a wider view of the map and new objectives. This essential mechanic allows players the freedom to scout, explore, and discover everything the game has to offer.
Now, fast forward to Breath of the Wild, and players are tasked with climbing Sheikah Towers that unlock parts of the map, encouraging exploration. Sounds familiar? It should, because it’s very similar.
Considering Nintendo’s lawsuit against Palworld for allegedly copying mechanics (specifically for catching the pals with a sphere), it’s not hard to imagine Ubisoft filing its own suit against The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for copying its synchronized viewpoint system.
You see, the Palworld lawsuit has opened a can of worms, one that could soon come back to bite the company back. It’s ironic that a company looking to protect its own patent could find itself on the other side of the courtroom in the near future.
Other companies could use the same approach: they could start creating patents after a game’s release and claim infringement. While Pocketpair is a smaller studio, there are bigger fish in the sea that can even go after the Japanese gaming giant.
Lawsuit risks stifle creativity and innovation in the gaming industry
The lawsuit against Palworld, at first, may have seemed like a way to protect its intellectual property (everyone thought the game looked like Pokémon), but it has inadvertently opened the door to a potentially troubling future for the gaming industry.
While other studios typically view game mechanics as shared inspiration that they can further elevate, rather than grounds for a lawsuit, Nintendo is now setting a precedent where even minor similarities between games can lead to legal action.
The move is one step toward creating a monopoly on game mechanics and ideas, one where smaller developers, in particular, may get discouraged from innovating or trying new things out of fear because it could result in a lawsuit.
Luckily, other studios have not yet followed this aggressive approach, but this could change in the future. This isn’t just bad news for the developers, it’s also bad for gamers, who could ultimately see fewer new and exciting games emerge as a result.
In the end, by setting the stage for legal challenges over game mechanics, Nintendo has created the possibility that it could face lawsuits itself in the future.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
