Modders are stepping in to restore features in Palworld that were removed by the developer, Pocketpair, due to pressure from Nintendo and The Pokémon Company’s patent lawsuit. Last week, Pocketpair acknowledged that recent updates, including Patch v0.3.11 in November 2024 and Patch v0.5.5 in April 2025, were made to comply with legal demands. These changes altered core mechanics, such as replacing the ability to summon Pals by throwing Pal Spheres with a static summon mechanism, and modifying gliding mechanics to require a glider item instead of relying on Pal companions.
Despite these compromises aimed at avoiding a potential injunction, modders are finding ways to bring back the original gameplay elements. Notably, the Glider Restoration mod, created by Primarinabee and available on Nexus Mods, reintroduces gliding through Pal companions. Although players still need a glider in their inventory, the mod effectively restores the functionality removed in Patch v0.5.5. Released on May 10, it has quickly gained traction among the community.
Similarly, another mod attempts to restore the original throw-to-release mechanic for Pals, though it lacks the ball-throwing animation present in earlier versions.
This ongoing battle between modders and legal restrictions raises questions about how long such mods will remain viable as the lawsuit progresses. At the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in March, John “Bucky” Buckley, communications director and publishing manager for Pocketpair, discussed these challenges during his talk, ‘A Palworld Roller Coaster: Surviving the Drop.’ Buckley highlighted the unexpected nature of the lawsuit and the broader issues facing the game, including accusations of using generative AI and copying Pokémon designs, both of which the developer has addressed and clarified.
