Pocketpair, the Japanese developer behind the controversial yet popular title Palworld, has filed a new trademark as its legal battle with Nintendo continues.
As reported by Gematsu, the trademark for ‘Palworld Online’ was submitted on 24th April 2026 in South Korea and 27th April 2026 in the US. Now, we know what you’re probably thinking: the game already features online play in the form of 4-player co-op play or via 32-player dedicated servers, right?
Yes, and so it’s likely that Palworld Online will be the official name for the game’s multiplayer mode when it leaves early access later this year for its big 1.0 update. Of course, if it’s anything more – like a completely separate game – then we’ll be sure to let you know.
In the meantime, Nintendo continues to face hurdles in its efforts to create patents to seemingly undermine Pocketpair and Palworld. Just recently, the US Patent Office rejected Nintendo’s ‘summon character and let it fight’ patent after director John Squires ordered it to be re-examined.
Nintendo still has time to respond and appeal, but it’s yet another indication that the company had perhaps overestimated its ability to monopolise game mechanics.
We’ll bring you more details on the Nintendo vs. Pocketpair debacle as soon as we hear more.
What do you make of this? Is Palworld destined to succeed against Nintendo’s ongoing efforts? Let us know with a comment.