It seems that Pikachu's mining career has been cut short by Nintendo. The gaming giant recently issued a DMCA takedown to the creator of a popular Palworld Pokémon mod, effectively putting an end to the project. ToastedShoes, the YouTuber behind the mod, shared a video teaser on Monday, only to have it removed by Tuesday. In response, ToastedShoes humorously asked his fans to keep him in their thoughts and prayers.
Palworld, developed by Pocketpair, is a game where players can collect Pokémon-like creatures and put them to work. It has quickly gained popularity since its release, attracting over 1.5 million simultaneous players on Steam. ToastedShoes took the Pokémon theme to the next level with a mod that inserts actual Pokémon into the game. However, Nintendo swiftly responded with copyright claims, causing the original video and subsequent previews to be taken down.
Palworld offers an open-world, multiplayer adventure where survival is the ultimate goal. Along the way, players can capture adorable creatures known as Pals. While Palworld shares some similarities with Pokémon, such as the ability to capture cute creatures for battle, its gameplay diverges significantly. The game blends elements from various genres like open-world RPGs and survival games.
Palworld - Image: Pocketpair
ToastedShoes had initially shared the mod video on a platform, but it was swiftly removed due to copyright concerns. Undeterred, he continued to host a preview clip on his YouTube channel, which was also subsequently blocked by Nintendo. Despite his intentions to release the mod for free to the public, ToastedShoes emphasized the need to proceed with caution, given Nintendo's DMCA takedown.
The mod, as shown in the clip, allows players to capture beloved Pokémon like Pikachu and Torchic, and put them to work under harsh conditions. The video described it as an "overhaul" that transforms everything into Pokémon. It showcased Ash hunting a Torterra and battling an Electabuzz, with familiar characters like Brock and Misty making appearances, the latter surprisingly wielding a gun.
While Palworld currently lacks mod support, the developers have stated in a Steam FAQ that they plan to add it in a future update. However, if and when the mod becomes available, its download availability may be limited. Nexus Mods, a popular platform for hosting game mods, expressed reservations about hosting the Pokémon mod. Their community lead, Mathew Elliott, stated, "We think adding Pokémon content to Palworld is a cool idea, but we're uncomfortable hosting this content."
Nintendo has a well-documented history of taking legal action against copyright infringement and mod creators. If the mod does eventually get published on a hosting site, Nintendo's lawyers will likely respond swiftly, similar to their actions against the mod preview videos. So, for now, the dream of seeing Pikachu toiling away in the mines will have to be put on hold.
Update: This article has been updated to include additional information on the mod and the removal of ToastedShoes' original clip from the platform.
Update (Jan. 24): This article was updated to include Nexus Mods' response to the Palworld Pokémon mod and the removal of the mod preview from YouTube.
