On September 2nd, 2025, the USPTO granted Nintendo U.S. Patent No. 12,403,397. The patent covers the summoning and battling of side characters, a mechanic already used in various titles. More specifically, games can’t use playable characters moving in a virtual place, summoning side characters to battle, toggling that battle with an input, summoning sub-characters without an enemy, and/or sending the sub-character to certain spots to engage in combat without risk of an infringement lawsuit. Causing an uproar in the gaming community, many people are furious and claim it will stifle creativity.
Though the patent was likely filed regarding Palworld, many game developers will have to deal with the repercussions. With Palworld previously responding by taking out certain aspects of the game “to avoid disruption”, its creators denied plagiarizing Nintendo (according to a Palworld X post). That said, with the game nearly finished and released, Palworld may be in the clear for now. Although Palworld may be Nintendo’s first victim with these specific patents, it doesn’t mean they’re the last. While it’s unlikely Nintendo will enforce this patent on larger companies that already use a similar system in their games, it still poses a threat to new ideas and small creators.
With Pokémon Legends Z/A coming out in October, this patent may have one of two effects. First, people upset about the patent may refrain from buying Pokémon Legends Z/A. Gamers don’t want to support a game that limits their creativity. Second, people may still indulge and buy more Pokémon games in the future. Since other developers are no longer able to include various sub-character features without fear of infringement, the lack of games with said features will ultimately push people looking for those experiences toward Nintendo in the future. While profitable for Nintendo, this undermines the accessibility and creativity of others in the gaming industry.
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