‘Crossed a Line That Should Not Be Crossed’ Former Capcom Dev Asks Gamers Not to Buy Palworld

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Yoshiki Okamoto, a long-time professional in the game industry and previously with Capcom, has advised players against purchasing Palworld, stating that it “went too far.” He made this statement while discussing Nintendo’s current legal case against the game, which claims Palworld violated several of their patents.

Yoshiki Okamoto is a veteran Japanese video game designer and producer with a 40-year career. He’s been credited on 149 video games, notably contributing to arcade hits like Time Pilot and Gyruss, which helped establish key elements of the shoot ’em up genre in the early 1980s. He started at Capcom in 1984, continuing to design games-including Street Fighter 2-until the early 1990s, while also taking on leadership roles as a director and producer. Later in his career, he served as an executive producer on titles such as Resident Evil 2, Dino Crisis, Breath of Fire 4, Devil May Cry 2, and Dragon Ball: Origins, among many others. Currently, as of 2025, Okamoto is the chairman of the Japan Game Culture Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting independent game developers in Japan.

Yoshiki Okamoto Calls Palworld ‘Unacceptable’

In a video posted to one of his YouTube channels in late September 2025, Okamoto shared his opinion on Nintendo’s patent lawsuit against Palworld, advising people not to purchase the game. He stated, “Palworld is currently involved in a lawsuit, making it unacceptable.” The long-time industry professional also claimed that Pocketpair’s game “went too far,” and explained he doesn’t want “a world where this behavior is tolerated,” according to a translation by IGN.

Okamoto’s Anti-Palworld Comments Spark Fan Criticism

Okamoto’s video quickly gained over 22,000 views in just three days, and it led to hundreds of comments criticizing the developer’s negative views on Palworld. Many YouTube users argued that simply filing a lawsuit doesn’t automatically mean there’s a valid case, and some noted that Okamoto’s own games had taken inspiration from other titles – similar to how Pocketpair’s monster-catching ARPG drew from existing games. While Nintendo’s claims against Palworld are more detailed than these instances of inspiration, many fans still consider Okamoto’s comments to be rushed and potentially unfair.

A court document revealed in spring 2025 shows that Pocketpair claims its game doesn’t violate Nintendo’s patents, and also questions whether those patents are valid. Prior to this, the company took out the ability to ride flying creatures in Palworld-a feature specifically mentioned in the lawsuit-and swapped it for a glider. Pocketpair states this change isn’t an acknowledgement of wrongdoing, but a safety measure in case they lose the case and are required to pay damages, which would likely be determined by how long the infringement is proven to have lasted.

[Palworld] is currently a game that’s being sued, so it’s unacceptable.

The legal case, which was originally filed in Japan, is still in progress as of October 2025. During the summer months, Nintendo updated a key patent involved in the lawsuit, causing the Tokyo District Court to review many of the arguments again, and this has delayed the process. Considering these updates and what usually happens with cases like this, the Palworld lawsuit probably won’t be settled before the middle of 2026, unless both sides agree to a settlement – but right now, there’s no sign that’s going to happen.

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2025-10-01 22:09