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The Palworld Pokémon mod by Youtuber ToastedShoes caused a stir shortly after its release. The legality of the creation is controversial
Palworld Pokémon Mod: Banned by Nintendo
Youtuber and creator ToastedShoes published a Pokémon mod shortly after the launch of Palworld Early Access.
- This has brought numerous elements of the game such as creatures, spheres and characters into the Pokémon universe. For example, Pokémon such as the mascot Pikachu could be caught with a classic Pokéball.
- ToastedShoes published several videos about the mod, which brought it to Nintendo’s attention. A short time later, the creator had to remove the mod and the uploaded videos on YouTube were blocked due to copyright infringements.
- This incident raises the question of whether the mod violated Nintendo’s copyright infringement policy at all. The answer is yes.
- The reason for this was the creator’s paywall. Others were only given access to the mod via ToastedShoes’ Patreon account.
- This meant that it was no longer a free mod, which would have been legal. As soon as mod creators demand money without the consent of the author (Nintendo), they are illegal. For this reason, Nintendo was able to take direct action against the Youtuber.
- Free of charge, the mod would have been legal. Nevertheless, Nintendo would probably have taken action against the creator, as Pokémon and certain content such as guns or depictions of violence do not meet the company’s family-friendly expectations.
Palworld: The legally-distinct pocket creatures into Palworld Mod Pack
This reaction from Nintendo did not deter the Youtuber, however.
- He then released another mod called The legally-distinct pocket creatures into Palworld Mod Pack. Here, real animals and elements of plants and the like were used to recreate Pokémon.
- For example, Pikachu is a yellow mouse that can use electric attacks. These creatures can be found through the mod in Palworld and are within a legal framework, as they are not Nintendo creatures.
- This mod has so far been tolerated by Nintendo because it is free and there is no real Pokémon content to be seen.
