Nintendo’s latest monster-catching patent attempt gets rejected in Japan
Nintendo’s long legal pressure around Palworld is still moving, but its latest patent play has hit a wall.
According to GamesRadar, Nintendo has reportedly failed to secure another Japan patent tied to monster-capturing mechanics. This comes while the existing lawsuit involving Palworld developer Pocketpair continues in the background, a case that started after Nintendo and The Pokémon Company took legal action in September 2024 over alleged patent infringement.
The new application, listed as no. 2026-019762, appears to focus on monster-catching through a touchscreen interface. In plain gamer terms: mechanics that could matter for mobile games, especially something like Palworld Mobile, which has been announced but has gone quiet for a while.
Japan’s Patent Office was not convinced. Based on analysis from Games Fray cited by GamesRadar, the examiner found that Nintendo’s filing did not show enough of an “inventive step” compared with existing ideas, also known as prior art. The short version: the patent was viewed more like a broad ruleset than a fresh technical invention.
That does not mean Nintendo is done. The filing is reportedly connected to an earlier patent around monster-catching mechanics, and Nintendo had already changed the claims in February. It can still try to revise the application again.
For Malaysian and SEA players, this matters because Palworld is not just some random survival game drama. It became one of those massive Discord-cafe talking points here: “Pokémon with guns” jokes, co-op base-building, chaos with friends, and that very familiar creature-collecting itch. If legal pressure keeps reshaping how monster-catching games can work, the impact will not only be felt in Japan or the US. It could affect what versions we eventually get on Steam, consoles, and especially mobile — the platform that still dominates casual gaming across SEA.
The mobile angle is the most interesting part. SEA is a mobile-first market, and Malaysia especially has a huge audience that discovers games through phones before PC or console. If Palworld Mobile is still happening, anything involving touchscreen capture mechanics could become a headache for Pocketpair or any partner working on the project.
Palworld has already made changes before. GamesRadar notes that Pocketpair adjusted its original ball-throwing creature capture system while the lawsuit was ongoing. That tells us developers are not waiting for the final legal result before adapting. They are already moving carefully around Nintendo’s patent territory.
The bigger picture is simple: Nintendo is not slowing down. Even with this rejection, the company’s wider patent push shows it wants stronger control over how certain monster-catching ideas are legally framed. Whether that ends up protecting Pokémon’s identity or making life harder for other creature-collecting games depends on how future patents and court decisions land.
For now, the Japan Patent Office has basically said this touchscreen claim is not original enough as filed. That is a win for breathing room, but not a final boss defeated. Expect Nintendo to keep adjusting, Pocketpair to keep watching, and players to keep asking one thing: when is Palworld Mobile actually coming?
Source: GamesRadar
