Community “prophecy” sees Palworld as the elusive third Pokemon title 

Pocketpair’s Palworld has grown up to be quite the internet sensation, drawing the attention of Pokemon (and Nintendo) themselves - for better or worse. The eerily similar nature between the two games had sparked a debate among members of either community, with more creative users on the r/Palworld subreddit assembling a series of memes that are quite the riot.

A user on the same subreddit has posted a hilarious meme, quoting:

The prophecy is true.

With the recent accusations of plagiarism surfacing online, it seems users are setting their sights on Nintendo’s franchise in a fun, tongue-in-cheek way.

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Palworld viewed by community as the third entry in the Nintendo Switch Pokemon lineup

The prophecy, detailed (Image via Reddit)

The Palworld subreddit has broken into chaos, with accusations that the game is a Pokemon clone spreading like wildfire. While some users are understandably upset at the allegations, as it falls in a relatively grey area, others have taken the opportunity to poke at the situation humorously, posting various memes surrounding the controversy.

One such user has posted an image calling the game the third, elusive entry in the Nintendo Switch collection of Pokemon games. To this extent, the game has been aptly named “Pokemon Gun,” referencing its use of Guns in its gameplay, sitting between Sword and Shield, thus completing the trilogy.

The post has since gained a lot of traction on the subreddit, with users commenting on the ingenuity of the meme.

Comment byu/Gay_Octopus_Fucker from discussion inPalworld

Comment byu/Gay_Octopus_Fucker from discussion inPalworld

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Exploring the Palworld vs Pokemon controversy

The comparisons between the two games began after Palworld was announced in 2021. While it was mostly seen as a weird, indie-esque spinoff of Pokemon, the game had a massive surge in popularity after its January 19, 2024 release.

This has naturally brought players' attention worldwide, with many drawing parallels to the Pokemon series of video games from Nintendo and Game Freak. While the comparisons between the two games are justified to an extent (largely thanks to the eerily similar nature of Pals), Palworld’s gameplay is quite different from the traditional turn-based gameplay that the Pokemon series is known for.

In particular, the former is a survival and crafting game at its heart, with a monster collection offered as a supplementary addition.

Either way, the discourse is far from over, especially with Nintendo officially issuing a statement announcing an “investigation” into the possibility of plagiarism. What comes of this potential lawsuit remains to be seen, however.

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Palworld was released in early access for the PC and Xbox Series X/S on January 19, 2024. The game is also available to download via Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass subscription service.