Summary
- Pocketpair released OverDungeon on the Nintendo eShop in a surprise move.
- OverDungeon is a genre-blending action card game with tower defense mechanics.
- Despite an ongoing lawsuit, Pocketpair celebrated OverDungeon's launch with a 50% off sale.
In a surprising move, Palworld developer Pocketpair has launched its 2019 title, OverDungeon, on the Nintendo eShop. This comes amidst ongoing legal battles with Nintendo and The Pokemon Company over alleged patent infringement related to Pocketpair's popular monster-taming game, Palworld.
In September 2024, Nintendo and The Pokemon Company filed a lawsuit against Pocketpair, claiming that Palworld's Pal Spheres infringed on their creature-capturing system patents. The lawsuit stirred significant controversy within the gaming community. Pocketpair responded by calling the situation "unfortunate" and committed to cooperating with the investigation. Despite the legal challenges, Palworld received a major update in December, boosting its concurrent player count on Steam. Now, in another bold move, Pocketpair has released OverDungeon on the Nintendo eShop.
On January 9, Pocketpair unexpectedly released OverDungeon for Nintendo Switch consoles. Initially launched on Steam in 2019, OverDungeon is described on the Nintendo eShop as an action card game that incorporates tower defense and roguelike elements. This marks Pocketpair's first game on the Switch, and the company announced no prior plans for this launch. To celebrate its debut on the Nintendo Switch, OverDungeon is available at a 50% discount until January 24. While Palworld is available on PS5 and Xbox, the decision to launch OverDungeon on the Nintendo eShop has sparked speculation among social media users, with some suggesting it might be a strategic response to the ongoing lawsuit with Nintendo.
Pocketpair Launches Its First Nintendo Switch Game Amid Lawsuit
While Palworld is Pocketpair's most renowned game, it's not the only one to draw comparisons to Nintendo titles. In 2020, Pocketpair released Craftopia, an RPG that bore a striking resemblance to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Craftopia continues to receive updates on Steam, with the latest in December. Meanwhile, Pocketpair has been actively promoting Palworld despite the lawsuit, including announcing a collaboration with Terraria. The first phase of this crossover introduced a new Pal named Meowmeow, with more Terraria-related content planned for 2025.
Since the lawsuit was made public, little additional information has been shared by the involved parties. Some patent experts suggest that the legal battle over Palworld could extend for years without a settlement. In addition to the Terraria collaboration, Pocketpair has hinted at further plans for Palworld in 2025, including potential ports to Mac and mobile platforms.
