This was bound to happen. After Palworld's unprecedented success and comparisons to one of the most well-known multimedia brands, Pokémon, Nintendo was expected to address the Mammorest in the room.

In its latest financial results briefing (via Reuters), Nintendo's CEO, Shuntaro Furukawa, was asked about what many are describing as "Pokémon with Guns."

Without directly mentioning the viral game, Furukawa emphasized the company's stance on protecting its intellectual property, stating, "We will take appropriate action against those that infringe our intellectual property rights."

Palworld, which launched into early access on PC and Xbox, quickly became a topic of debate for its character designs that many have likened to characters found in Pokémon games. As of February 1, Palworld boasted impressive sales figures with 12 million copies sold on Steam and an additional 7 million players on Xbox, marking it as a breakout success.

Furukawa's statement mirrors a similar sentiment expressed by The Pokémon Company. Its previous declaration of investigating whether Palworld infringes on its intellectual property rights is still fresh on everyone's minds. The Pokémon Company emphasized its commitment to safeguarding the Pokémon franchise and its world, proving that Palworld has no permission to use Pokémon intellectual property.