Records and Controversies of “Pokémon with Weapons”.

Developed by previously obscure Japanese studio Pocket Pair, Palworld There’s a video game headed for the biggest production-worthy sales figures yet: its creators announce six million copies sold on Steam, the leader in sales of dematerialized games on PC, in the four days since its January 19 release. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg: the game is also available on the Windows and Xbox stores, and is also accessible for free to subscribers of Microsoft’s Game Pass program.

However, the team promises that the development is only in its early stages, and the game will be further developed based on the feedback of internet users. In return, players, who benefit from the attractive price, should still expect a basic experience and all kinds of bugs – Palworld Introduced a certain number of them during games played by world.

Palworld Its conception arouses a strong curiosity which has earned it the nickname ” Pokemon with arms. It begins with a character in a loincloth who wakes up on an island. It’s up to him to extract resources from his environment (wood, stone, ore, etc.) to develop his base, explore the surroundings, and fight threats.

A taste of transgression

One thing, however, sets it apart from the dozens of survival and construction games that have slipped into the breach since opening nearly fifteen years ago. Minecraft : It takes place in a colorful universe full of plump creatures, endowed with elemental powers, whose design is very reminiscent of the Nintendo games of which Pikachu has become the mascot.

But no promotional videos Palworld spoils the typical good-natured atmosphere of Pokemon, cartoon monsters with machine guns with realistic designs. We see that the player riddles these adorable creatures with bullets, arrows or explosives and creates hands on those he captures. in PalworldIt is also a question – without us knowing very well whether it is a satire or not – of slavery and cruelty to animals.

Unsurprisingly disturbing elements in a game that presented itself at its launch as “PEGI 7”, meaning recommended for audiences aged 7 or older, according to a rating system established by publishers in Europe. It is now presented as reserved for an audience of players over the age of 12.

This doesn’t seem to have bothered Vandal’s large community of fans Pokemon And can even attract them. Its launch performance is also comparable to the actual game Pokemon. Indeed, in early 2022, 6.5 million boxes of Pokemon Legends: Arceus Sold out within a week. Then in November 2022, ten million copies of Pokemon Purple And Pokemon Scarlet Sold out in three days.

The appetite of the fans Pokemon for Palworld It can also be accentuated by what is often seen as a lack of ambition in a series that has barely evolved since its first episode released in 1996 on the Game Boy. The last titles in the series also suffered from technical problems and graphics that were far behind current standards.

Read the review: We tested… “Pokémon: Scarlet and Violet”, the most charming of technological disasters

But for many observers, Palworld Just a reminder Pokemon : It is a carbon copy at least in some aspects. In recent days, players have enjoyed finding out which Pokémon were inspired by each of the 111 “Pals” (the English word for “friends”) in the game.

world

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Added to these visual similarities is a monster capture system very close to the Nintendo game; Thus we are invited to collect in the “Paldex” which is essentially reminiscent of the “Pokédex”. Pokemon.

The connections are fueling debate online, with some wondering about possible legal action by Nintendo for plagiarism. The company did not respond to requests for questions on the subject the world

.

A leader with an obscure profile

Pocket Payer’s CEO, Takuro Mizobe, made sure to take the necessary legal precautions during the exchange with the particular Japanese site. Automaton, quoted in an article published on January 19. Since the game’s announcement, the studio’s line of defense has been to sidestep any attempt at comparison. “To be honest, I didn’t understand why people on the internet were saying that Pokemon with arms »Mr Mizob has already defended himself in an article published by an American site Gamer In June 2021.

The official communication from Pocket Pair emphasizes the fact that Palworld Like the very popular survival and construction game Walheim, V-rising Or Sons of the ForestSurprising successes of the year 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Mr. Mizobe tirelessly repeats that the main motivation Palworld not Pokemon But Ark: Survival Evolved (2015), a survival game with dinosaurs. In fact, outside of the creation of its monsters, it is very different in most of its mechanics, PokemonFor its part is close to the principles of role-playing games.

Controversies surrounding Palworld Also fueled by marginal responsibilities of pocket pairs (so far primarily responsible for play, Craftopiawith which equality Zelda, Nintendo’s second series) and by the surprising profile of its CEO. Takuro Mizobe does not come from the world of video games – his only experience in the field prior to the creation of Pocket Pair appears to have been his participation in a seminar on the design of games for the Nintendo DS console organized by the brand. Early 2010s. The US Patent Office also keeps track of applications dating from the same period, which were filed in Nintendo’s name and in which its name appears.

As Takuro Mizobe describes himself, on his account, as one of the founders of Coincheck, a company in the field of cryptocurrency, where he actually held a management position, according to an internal company document. Created in 2014, this crypto exchange platform was introduced as a symbol of the growth of the sector in Japan at the time. Coincheck suffered a major computer attack in 2018, which led to the theft of the equivalent of 430 million euros – an amount that Coincheck has since reimbursed its customers.

However, on his company’s official website, Mr. Mizobe ignores other activities. His biography does not mention his role as chief engineer of the Spindle Project, a cryptocurrency investment company, which he held in 2018, according to a presentation on the project carried out by a Japanese influencer. The project presented itself as accomplished at the time “Largest ICO (Funding in Cryptoassets) History of Japan », but attracted the attention of investigators from the country’s financial brigade, who believed the company was violating investment laws. After that he hastily left for London. The project has since been shut down and about 16 million euros of capitalization has gone up in smoke.

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Pierre Trouvey, Damian Lelop And Florian Renaud