
Videogame 'Palland' draws attention as well as legal dispute
Palworld, released in January 2024, became widely known for blending monster-taming elements with survival gameplay and combat involving firearms, leading to frequent comparisons with Pokémon.
Its rapid success was followed by a lawsuit from Nintendo, which cited similarities to its own franchise. Pocketpair has since continued developing the title, but made changes to core mechanics.
The newly released title, Palland, was first highlighted by NintendoSoup. It became available on July 31 2025, and is currently being sold at a discounted price of $3.99. The game's visual style closely mirrors Palworld's 3D aesthetic, but comparisons extend beyond appearance.
According to its official description, Palland is "a captivating survival, building, and exploration game" in which players construct a base, gather resources, and encounter wild creatures that may pose threats or provide power.
The inclusion of firearms alongside creature interaction further strengthens the resemblance to Palworld. Some of the creatures in Palland have also been noted by players for their likeness to existing Pokémon designs, with particular similarities to Parasect and Charmander.
The emergence of Palland comes while Pocketpair is still dealing with Nintendo's legal claim, raising questions over whether Nintendo will also pursue action against Palland's developer, BoggySoft. As of now, no official statement has been made regarding potential enforcement.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Express Tribune
Gamescom tries to reignite gaming's lost spark
The global games industry gathers for the vast Gamescom trade fair in Cologne this week, with hopes that upcoming heavy-hitters like "GTA VI" can help the industry escape its doldrums. Tuesday's opening night event will show off major releases slated for the months ahead, with the starring role going to "Black Ops 7"the new instalment in the sprawling "Call of Duty" saga. Trade visitors will have Wednesday to peruse the stands and make connections, before tens of thousands of enthusiastic gamers are unleashed on the vast salon from Thursday to Sunday. Last year's Gamescom drew almost 335,000 people to the Cologne exhibition centre, where studios lay on vast stands with consoles or PCs offering hands-on play with the latest releases. Nintendo is back in 2025 after staying away last year, surfing on record launch sales for its Switch 2 console. And Microsoft's Xbox gaming division will show off new portable hardware expected to be released towards the end of the year. Sony, the Japanese giant behind the PlayStation, has opted out this time around. The mood is mixed for the roughly 1,500 exhibitors attending this year, as major publishers have recently steered back into profitability but the job cuts seen over the past two years continue. In early July, Microsoft said it would lay off around 9,000 people, with hundreds leaving game studios like "Candy Crush" developer King and several games cancelled, including "Perfect Dark" and "Everwild". "The industry is consolidating quite a bit" after the bumper years when Covid-19 lockdowns created a captive audience, said Rhys Elliott of specialist games data firm Alinea Analytics. Around 30,000 workers have lost their jobs since early 2023, according to tracking site Games Industry Layoffsmore than 4,000 of them so far this year. Revenue in the global games market should hold steady at just under $190 billion this year, data firm Newzoo has forecast. The number of players and hours spent with the medium are stable while an ever-expanding number of titles are jostling for attention. And with leviathans like "Roblox" or "Fortnite" swallowing the attention of hundreds of millions of monthly users, "everyone's fighting for a smaller share of that pie," said Circana expert Mat Piscatella. The need to find new audiences has pushed Microsoft's Xbox, the biggest games publisher in the world, to switch strategy, increasingly offering its titles on competing console makers' hardware."They've had really great success on the PlayStation platform. Sony is making a bunch of money on that too," Piscatella said "It's a little bit of a win-win all the way around." Some PlayStation games are making the trip in the opposite direction, with "Helldivers 2" the first to be made available on Xbox as well as the traditional PC port. Shoring up sales is vital in an era where the cost of developing high-spec "AAA" games has mounted into the hundreds of millions of dollarsexposing studios to massive risk should their games not perform as hoped. But several breakout hits have recently shown that lower-budget games can still win over players with gameplay, story and art style, such as four-million-selling French turn-based battler "Clair Obscur: Expedition 33". "There's a realisation you don't need to spend masses of money to deliver a high-quality game that can appeal broadly and so everyone is rushing towards that model," said Christopher Dring, founder of industry website The Game Business. But "for every 'Clair Obscur' success story, there are 10 games that fail to find an audience at all," Piscatella pointed out. "It's hyper-competitive for those products outside of that big sphere" and smaller developers must fight hard for the funding they need to get games to market. Nor is the cult-hit trend likely to displace the mega-budget mastodons. Analysts predict that Rockstar Games' vast "Grand Theft Auto VI" could notch up the biggest launch for any entertainment product in history. That might be the juice the flagging industry needs to regain some of its mojo.


Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Express Tribune
Pokémon Legends Z-A introduces four-player Z-A Battle Club with ranked Link Battles
Pokémon Legends: Z-A will introduce a new multiplayer feature called the Z-A Battle Club, allowing up to four Trainers to compete in fast-paced battles when the game launches on October 16 2025. Available in both the standard Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 editions, the mode offers players a new way to test their skills online or locally. In the Z-A Battle Club, Trainers face off in three-minute Link Battles, aiming to defeat as many Pokémon as possible within the time limit. Each defeated Pokémon earns a point, and these points contribute to rankings. All participating Pokémon can make use of a wide variety of moves, and Trainers will also be able to Mega Evolve their Pokémon using Mega Power orbs that appear during battles. Matches begin with Trainers positioned across the stage, sending Pokémon into the fray. If a Pokémon faints, its Trainer returns to their starting point, where their team is fully restored before rejoining the battle. Items that temporarily boost stats can also be collected throughout the match. The battle system combines real-time movement with strategic use of attacks. Moves vary in their effects, with some covering a fixed radius to strike multiple targets and others travelling in straight lines to reach distant opponents. Trainers are encouraged to adapt their strategy to maximise their advantage. Players can compete in Ranked Battles, starting from Rank Z and climbing to Rank A by earning points through victories and performance. Private Battles are also available, allowing friends to play together using Link Codes and customised rules. The Z-A Battle Club is featured in the latest trailer for Pokémon Legends: Z-A, giving fans a first look at the competitive four-player format ahead of the game's release in October.


Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Express Tribune
Pokémon World Championships 2025 merch store hit by scalpers despite purchase limits
Scalpers quickly cleared out the official merchandise store at the Pokémon World Championships 2025, leaving many fans unable to purchase exclusive items. Despite The Pokémon Company introducing stricter controls such as purchase limits and a lottery system, reports from attendees indicate that scalpers still managed to acquire large quantities of the most in-demand products. Exclusive items, including trading card game merchandise and other collectables, began appearing on resale sites such as eBay at heavily inflated prices within hours of the store opening. Videos shared online captured chaotic scenes inside the venue, with one attendee overheard saying, 'It's a bloodbath in here, holy sh*t,' as people rushed to grab items from the shelves. In response, organisers moved to address the issue on the second day of the event by introducing a staggered entry system. This measure reportedly helped manage the flow of attendees, with later footage showing stocked shelves, though it remains unclear whether the most sought-after TCG products were still available. The annual Championships, held this year in Anaheim from August 15–17, feature competitions across multiple Pokémon titles, including the Trading Card Game, Pokémon Unite, Pokémon Go, and the latest mainline RPGs, Scarlet and Violet. Competitors are battling for a share of a $2 million prize pool, with winners crowned across each category. Beyond competitive play, the Championships are also known for offering exclusive merchandise and rewards. Entrants receive special edition cards that cannot be obtained elsewhere, adding further appeal for collectors and fans of the franchise. The ongoing issue of scalpers targeting Pokémon merchandise has been a recurring concern for fans, with many calling for stronger preventative measures to ensure fair access in future events.