Pocketpair's survival game Palworld has received its long-awaited version 1.0 update, introducing 72 new Pals, new explorable areas, and an increased level cap. However, alongside these additions, players have noted significant changes to the designs of several pre-existing creatures, making them less visually similar to Pokémon.
These design alterations were not explicitly detailed in the official patch notes. Fans have observed that at least four Pals have been reworked, with many speculating the changes are a response to ongoing comparisons between Palworld's creatures and those from the Pokémon franchise, particularly in light of the legal dispute between Pocketpair and Nintendo.
Notable examples include Verdash, whose design appears to have been made smaller and less comparable to Cinderace. The previous version of Grintale shared some facial resemblances with Pokémon's Perrserker, and Robinquill's earlier design bore a striking similarity to Pokémon's Decidueye. While the developer has not commented on the reasons behind these specific changes, the timing and nature of the alterations suggest an effort to mitigate design-related criticisms.
Interestingly, some newly introduced Pals in the 1.0 update, such as Hoodle, still bear resemblances to existing characters from other franchises, like Astro Bot and Pokémon's Mimikyu. This has led to further discussion about Pocketpair's design philosophy.
This publication reached out to Pocketpair for comment regarding the altered designs but had not received a response by the time of publication.