Is there a Pokemon mod for Palworld?

Since the survival crafting title by Pocketpair opened to Early Access, players have been wondering if there is a Pokemon mod for Palworld. While the game is still incredibly early on in its development, the community has already created several mods, and the modder/YouTuber ToastedShoes recently shared a mod on X that would see Pocket Monsters coming to Palworld.

ToastedShoes caught on with viral videos in recent months due to his videos modding Mortal Kombat 1 with Disney, Dreamworks, and Pixar characters, and it now appears that he's taking a swing at including Pokemon in Palworld. The mod's availability isn't confirmed, but ToastedShoes stated he'd upload a YouTube video on the subject on January 23, 2024.

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When will the Pokemon mod for Palworld be released? Or can it be released at all?

A screenshot from the Pokemon Palworld mod created by ToastedShoes (Image via @ToastedShoes/X)

ToastedShoes has been mum on whether or not his Pokemon mod for Palworld will be released, though fans are likely to get clarification when January 24 arrives. Be that as it may, there may be issues publishing this mod publicly due to copyright infringement dangers, and Nintendo/Game Freak's stance toward the use of its IP is notoriously litigious.

If ToastedShoes does release the Palworld mod, this could cause a substantial amount of problems not only for him but also for the Palworld developers at Pocketpair. The latter has already been accused of ripping off Pocket Monster designs by some players, and the release of a mod that directly inserts the creatures into the survival crafting game would likely spur action from Nintendo in some capacity.

None of this is to say that ToastedShoes or other modders still won't push ahead with Pokemon mods for Palworld, but downloading them might be difficult. While Nintendo and TPC don't necessarily have the legal footing to persecute Pocketpair and Palworld outright for their Pal designs, a full-fledged Pocket Monsters mod might bring legal action against the modder, forcing the mod underground.

While Pocketpair itself doesn't endorse any mods made by the community (though they're hoping to add Steam Workshop support for Palworld), even the developer itself might step in and request that ToastedShoes not publish the Pokemon mod for Palworld to head off any potential consequences.

Be that as it may, the modding community is a determined bunch, and a Pocket Monsters mod may still appear in the future. ToastedShoes possesses his own mod launcher that encompasses many games like Five Nights At Freddy's, Elden Ring, and Mortal Kombat 1, but his intent to release the Palworld mod has yet to be determined.

Given that ToastedShoes offers many of his mods through Patreon subscriptions, Nintendo may take particular issue with his Palworld mod if it's released as a Patreon exclusive due to the presumptive revenue it would collect. However, the full details of the new mod are still emerging, and it's possible that ToastedShoes simply modded Palworld's Pals with various Pokemon for entertainment purposes.

Currently, no Pocket Monsters mods for Palworld appear to have been publicly released since the game just hit Early Access on Steam and Xbox consoles. However, if ToastedShoes makes it clear on January 23 that he doesn't intend to release his mod, other modders may step in. It's unclear when a Pocket Monsters mod for Palworld will fully emerge, but it may only be a matter of time.

For now, Palworld and Pokemon fans alike will simply have to wait for ToastedShoes' YouTube video for clarification. Depending on how things pan out, players may have to resort to the growing collection of other Palworld mods on sites like Nexusmods until a full-fledged Pocket Monsters mod sees the light of day.