Did AI Really Design Those Pokém— I Mean, Pals?

On the other hand, the debate over Palworld's character designs being reminiscent of Pokémon is not a new one, having persisted since the game's announcement. We'd also be approximately 0% surprised if a generative AI fan known for knockoff Pokémon designs used generative AI to make knockoff Pokémon designs.

Mizobe has acknowledged his admiration for AI in various tweets, praising its capability to generate, you guessed it, fake Pokémon designs. While this may raise eyebrows, it is crucial to distinguish between admiration for AI and direct implementation in Palworld's design.

Adding complexity to the narrative is Pocketpair's historical engagement with generative AI tools too, exemplified by their previous title, 'AI: Art Impostor.' This game explicitly utilized an AI image generator as part of its core mechanics, raising doubt about the studio's approach to AI-driven creativity.

In response to these aforementioned allegations, Mizobe defended Palworld, acknowledging similarities but condemning online abuse directed towards the game's artists. Translated from Japanese, Mizobe's post on X (formerly Twitter) reads: Currently, we are receiving slanderous comments against our artists, and we are seeing tweets that appear to be death threats. I have received a variety of opinions regarding Palworld, but all productions related to Palworld are supervised by multiple people, including myself, and I am responsible for the production. I would appreciate it if you would refrain from slandering the artists involved in Palworld. Contrasting Mizobe's post, an anonymous account claimed to provide evidence not just of design inspiration, but actual plagiarism of game assets which has since been shared and explored by others on social media. This development intensified the scrutiny surrounding Palworld's creative origins.

The broader context of the gaming industry's relationship with generative AI adds another layer to the controversy. Tools like Midjourney have faced criticism for potentially already replacing professional artists, prompting ongoing lawsuits against entities proven to have used artists' work without permission for training AI models.

Palworld's perceived lack of reverence for Pokémon and its unique approach to the genre further fuel the controversy. While games like Temtem, Cassette Beasts, and Coromon are celebrated for their homage to Pokémon, Palworld's distinct marketing, featuring Pokémon with guns, and its portrayal of a more violent world have led to divided opinions among fans.

Mizobe's past posts expressing optimism about AI tools potentially avoiding copyright issues and generating new Pokémon designs add an intriguing dimension to the discussion. While not conclusive evidence of AI involvement in Palworld's designs, these posts raise speculation, especially considering the game's development by a relatively inexperienced team. And, like, come on.

Palworld, as described by its creator, is an "action-adventure survival game," offering a unique blend of capturing Pals (or human NPCs, which we can't see going wrong at all...) for base building, exploration, and combat. Despite the plagiarism allegations, the game has received positive reviews on Steam with record-breaking sales and concurrent player activity.

The controversy surrounding Palworld underscores the evolving landscape of AI in the gaming industry. As the EU moves to regulate generative AI, and Valve updates rules for disclosing AI-generated assets on Steam, the debate over the intersection of creativity, AI, and plagiarism in gaming is likely to intensify this year.