Palworld 1.0 Players Notice Several Pal Redesigns, Claiming They Now Resemble Pokémon Less

Palworld players have noticed that developer Pocketpair altered several Pal designs for the 1.0 launch, with some saying the creatures now look less like the Pokémon they previously resembled.

Pocketpair published detailed patch notes for Palworld's 1.0 version earlier this week, listing hundreds of additions, changes, and improvements. However, these patch notes do not mention the design changes, leaving players to discover the updated looks on their own.

With Palworld 1.0 now live, players have spotted alterations to Verdash, Robinquill, Fengallop, and Grintale, which had previously shown clear similarities to Pokémon like Cinderace, Decidueye, Cobalion, and Galarian Meowth.

Verdash has become more squirrel-like, reducing its resemblance to the soccer-playing rabbit. Robinquill lost its red cape, which made its silhouette familiar to Pokémon fans. Fengallop now looks more deer-like with adjusted colors to make it more distinct. Grintale, a feline Pal, had its mouth redesigned, giving it a more original facial structure.

On the Palworld subreddit, a lengthy thread discusses the changes largely positively, with many saying the updated models are improvements. However, the understanding that these Pals were similar to specific Pokémon remains clear.

"Can't believe they actually went back and improved them to make them feel less kitbashy or repurposed, like they were bits taken from various Pokémon," wrote Palworld fan DefaultProducts.

"I'm kinda glad they redid the whole deer design; it looked a bit too much like a femme fluffy Cobalion before," wrote Mr_w00fy.

"I'm glad they redesigned green Cinderace," wrote Omnifob. "It was too close to its inspiration; now it looks really cute. I like the redesign of Robinquill too; something about the original bothered me."

"Verdash and Robinquill were both Pals I refused to use because they looked too close to their inspiration," wrote Vvattvery. "Now I see myself using them."

Discussion on gaming forum ResetEra is more critical, with many suggesting the creatures should never have looked so similar to Pokémon in the first place. "Better late than never, I guess!" said user Greywaren. "It's hilarious how blatant some of the model rips were, and people still jumped to defend them."

"Tell me it's an admission of guilt without telling me it's an admission of guilt energy," wrote KezayJS1. "But hey, it's good they're doing this because much of their initial designs were blatant mashups of actual Pokémon design elements."

Comparisons between Palworld's Pals and Pokémon have existed since before Palworld's launch, when many accused Pocketpair of "ripping off" Pokémon designs. Nintendo and The Pokémon Company also took notice, filing a patent dispute over gameplay similarities. In the initial lawsuit, they demanded 5 million yen (approximately $30,000) each plus late payment damages and an injunction against Palworld. A judgement is expected later this year, though Pocketpair has already made changes to the game's mechanics, believed to be in response to the legal action. IGN has contacted Pocketpair for comment.

Check out IGN's Palworld review so far to see what we think of the 1.0 update.