Former Capcom developer Yoshiki Okamoto recently told gamers not to buy Palworld in the wake of Nintendo’s lawsuit, prompting a discourse among the divisive monster-raising title’s fans. Palworld drew comparisons to Pokemon from the moment it was announced, and Nintendo and The Pokemon Company eventually filed a lawsuit against developer Pocketpair in late 2024 over alleged infringement of patent rights.

Yoshiki Okamoto would address the Palworld lawsuit and share his thoughts on the game in a recent YouTube video, saying that Pocketpair “crossed a line that shouldn’t be crossed.” Okamoto says that Palworld being sued makes it “unacceptable” and that he doesn’t want to live in a world where players support games that have fallen under such legal action.

Yoshiki Okamoto Warns Against Buying “Unacceptable” Palworld

Former Capcom Dev Says Pocketpair “Crossed The Line”

Yoshiki Okamoto is a veteran of the gaming industry, having worked for Capcom from 1984 all the way to 2003. During that time, he had a hand in many of Capcom’s most iconic games, including Street Fighter 2, Resident Evil 2, and Devil May Cry 2.

Okamoto went on to tell viewers not to buy the full version of Palworld, which is currently still in early access beta as of this writing. He described Palworld as “a game that transcends the boundaries of war” and says that lawsuits shouldn’t be accepted just because a game sells well or gets positive reviews.

He also accused Pocketpair of continuing to make Palworld announcements as a way to sidestep the controversy surrounding the game and Nintendo’s resulting lawsuit. He says that Palworld would be fine to play if a settlement with Nintendo is reached, but buying it in the face of its ongoing lawsuit is unacceptable.

How Palworld Fans Have Reacted To Okamoto’s Criticism

Defenders Accuse Nintendo And Okamoto Of Hypocrisy

Sheep like pals in palworld holding guns

Okamoto’s video has over 27,000 views, and Palworld fans were quick to voice their reactions in the comment section and across social media. Many have pointed to Nintendo’s more controversial legal actions, such as filing a patent over “sub characters,” as a show of bad faith and say that Palworld is far from the first game to use such concepts.

Some YouTube users note that Okamoto himself has borrowed elements from other games in his own works, and that a lawsuit shouldn’t be the deciding factor in whether to buy or support an upcoming video game like Palworld. Nintendo’s lawsuit against Palworld is still ongoing, and some of the more charitable voices state that Okamoto’s comments are still premature.

Pocketpair does seem to be reacting to Nintendo’s Palworld lawsuit in some ways, like replacing ridable flying creatures with gliders and changing the summon animations for captured Pals. Only time will tell what other changes Palworld could make to avoid Nintendo’s legal ire, as well as what impact the lawsuit’s final verdict could have on the industry as a whole.