When Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Palworld developer Pocketpair in September 2024, many expected a long legal battle with potentially serious consequences for one of gaming’s biggest hits. Nearly two years later, however, the situation looks very different.

The lawsuit centered on three Japanese patents related to monster capture/release and riding mechanics. Nintendo had sought both an injunction and damages, but setbacks like patent office rejections for lack of originality (citing prior art from games like ARK and others) have weakened their position significantly.

Recent court developments suggest Nintendo’s case has narrowed significantly, with the dispute now focused almost entirely on older versions of Palworld rather than the game players are experiencing today. While the lawsuit isn’t over, its ability to meaningfully impact Palworld’s future appears to be fading.

The shift happened after Pocketpair proactively altered several gameplay mechanics that had become central to Nintendo’s patent claims.

You can no longer summon Pals by throwing Pal Spheres in the way you could at launch, and gliding has been redesigned to rely on a dedicated glider rather than using Pals directly. Pocketpair has openly acknowledged these changes were made to avoid disruptions to development and distribution while the legal process continues.

That alone raises an interesting question: if the disputed features are already gone, what exactly is left to fight over? At this stage, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are primarily pursuing damages tied to earlier versions of the game.

Reports suggest the potential financial reward could be relatively small compared to the scale of the case itself. More importantly for players, there is currently no indication that Palworld’s upcoming 1.0 launch on July 10, 2026 is under threat.

For Pocketpair, that’s arguably the most important victory. The studio has spent the past two years transforming Palworld from an early-access phenomenon into one of the biggest success stories in recent gaming history.

What initially caught attention as “Pokémon with guns” quickly evolved into something broader: a survival-crafting game that combined creature collection, base building, exploration, and multiplayer systems in a way that resonated with millions of gamers. That popularity is a major reason the lawsuit generated so much discussion beyond legal circles.

Many argue the case represents a growing problem within the games industry, where broad gameplay concepts can become the subject of patent disputes. Supporters of Nintendo, meanwhile, maintain that companies have a right to defend intellectual property they believe is being infringed upon.

The reality likely sits somewhere in the middle. While Nintendo may have succeeded in forcing certain design compromises, the larger objective appears increasingly out of reach. The possibility of an injunction affecting Palworld’s current version has diminished considerably, and the game continues moving toward its full release with major updates still on the roadmap.

The optics have also become complicated for Nintendo. Online discussions increasingly frame Pocketpair as the underdog surviving against one of gaming’s largest corporations. Whether fair or not, many players view the lawsuit less as a defense of innovation and more as an attempt to limit a competitor that successfully tapped into a market Pokémon itself had struggled to satisfy in recent years.

What’s particularly notable is that Palworld’s success hasn’t slowed during the legal battle. If anything, the lawsuit may have increased public awareness of the title. With another court hearing expected in October, the case is not technically over.

Nintendo may still secure some form of financial compensation tied to earlier builds of the game, but the likelihood of significantly altering Palworld’s trajectory appears slim.

Palworld is hitting full release for all platforms next month, on July 10th globally. The game has been available for Windows PC (via Steam and the Microsoft Store), Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.

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Following on from the announcement that Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution will be Xbox console exclusive, Xbox execs have made some clarifying statements about what this means going forward.

Speaking with Gamertag Radio Xbox Chief Content Officer Matt Booty explained that this is not a hard and fast rule, but much more nuanced.

“We know that exclusives are important, that’s why we’ve got Gears [of War: E-Day] coming in 2026, Clockwork [Revolution] in 2027.” Booty said, but also noted that “If we’ve promised something to players already, we are going to honour that promise.,” Booty stated, adding exclusivity will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

This follows up the statement on Xbox Wire that, “As part of our focus on the return of XBOX, we also announced that Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution will be XBOX console exclusives. These are not timed exclusives. Games already announced for multiplatform releases will stick to that plan – we’re committed to investing in and growing XBOX both on console and beyond.”

We can break this down into three buckets:

• Live service and multiplayer-first games will all be coming to PS5 in addition to Xbox and PC.
• Any game already announced and confirmed for PlayStation 5 will still be coming to PS5.
• Everything else will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Got that? Let’s look at some examples.

Call of Duty will obviously never now be an exclusive – and it’s not clear how this statement relates to Activision anyway – given that it’s heavily multiplayer focussed and has long-standing promises about multi-platform availability.

Halo: Campaign Evolved and Fable were previously announced for PS5, and so they will still come to PlayStation. For the future of Halo, Microsoft will need to decide if it’s a live service or multiplayer-first series, but there’s now precedent for a remake or remaster to then not have a cross-platform sequel – Gears Reloaded and E-Day.

State of Decay 3, which is heavily co-op and online similar to a Grounded 2 makes sense to be cross-platform, but then Senua, which is a single-player action-adventure game would surely have been a prime candidate to be Xbox exclusive. But maybe that gets an exclusion because the first game launched first for PlayStation 4?

And, look, The Elder Scrolls VI will be on PlayStation because they want it to sell bucket loads after the middling reception to Starfield, but now there’s a seed of doubt about it, isn’t there?

In general, I think I’m in favour of Microsoft going back to having exclusives. It does feel odd having Halo and Gears on PlayStation, but there do need to be good reasons for people to stay with Xbox as a platform (or PC) for it to remain viable. So this is a good move for the platform as a whole, but let’s not pretend that it isn’t just like in 2023 when the former executive team struggled to explain what the plan really was.

Source: Xbox, Gamertag Radio via VGC

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Attention all Bulbasaur plushie owners and potential future Bulbasaur plushie owners. The Pokemon Company has officially announced a Pokemon Presents showcase set to take place in July. Plus, we finally know for sure when exactly Pokemon Legends Z-A will be arriving for Switch 2 and original Switch.

This next Pokemon Presents will be taking place on Tuesday, July 22, meaning you’ve got a month and a bit to wait. You’ll be able to watch it at 6AM PST, which is 2PM BST, 9AM ET, and 3PM CEST via the official Pokemon YouTube channel.

There’ve been no further details announced as to what it’ll feature, aside from “the latest news and updates from the world of Pokemon”, which yeah, duh, Pokemon showcase. It’s worth noting that Nintendo’s Switch 2 will have been out a month and a bit by then, so it seems likely we could see some more Pokemon games aimed at that console.

One that pretty much seems like a lock unless TPC thinks it’s shared enough info already is Pokemon Legends: Z-A, which has just finally been given a full release date. Both the Switch 2 and original Switch versions will be dropping on October 16, with eShop pre-orders kicking off June 5. The game’s moody nighttime cover art has also been revealed.

“Players who purchase either the physical or digital version of Pokémon Legends: Z-A for Nintendo Switch will have the option to upgrade to the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition by purchasing an upgrade pack,” TPC wrote, “Upgrade packs will be available on Nintendo eShop and My Nintendo Store.”

If you’ve forgotten what the game is here’s the synopsis: “Pokemon Legends: Z-A is a new frontier for the Pokémon video game series, blending an RPG story unfolding in a single city with action elements and a real-time battle system unlike anything seen before in the franchise Trainers can look forward to the beginning of a new adventure in Lumiose City—one woven by people and Pokémon together!”

If you’re planning on playing a bunch more Pokemon TCG Pocket while you wait for this next Presents showcase to roll around, you can consult our huge array of helpful TCG Pocket guides for expert advice on things like assembling decks based around ex Pokemon ranging from Cresselia to Yanmega.

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Indie developer Bellring Games announced a release date for Mistfall Hunter, their PvPvE extraction RPG set in a dark fantasy world.

Mistfall Hunter is set to release across Windows PC (Steam), Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5 on July 29th. An open beta is launching on June 14th, too.

Here’s a rundown on the new details, plus a trailer:

Mistfall Hunter drops players into the Gyldenmist as Gyldhunters: class-based warriors hunting the corroded horrors that stalk the fog. Squad up in three-player teams or push in solo, choose your class, and extract before something out there extracts you.

Meet the Withered Knight

Once they were Rose Knights of the Kingdom of Gaenaria: sworn, ceremonial, gilded. Now they are exiles, cast to the North and branded “Withered Knights.” Their armor is worn. Their honor is shattered. Their faith is not.

In Mistfall Hunter, the Withered Knight strides into the Gyldenmist with a two-handed greatsword and a chivalric code that won’t quit. The weapon’s reach is unusually long, rewarding patient spacing and clean reads. But the class is built around something more interesting than raw damage. At its heart is a sigil-and-detonation loop that turns every encounter into a setup for a payoff.

Core kit:

• Withering Sigils + Reckoning: Mark enemies in combat. Detonate the sigils at the right moment for layered damage and battlefield control.
• Parry: A precise, timing-based defensive tool. Mistime it and eat the hit. Land it and flip the exchange.
• Thorn Guide: A grappling skill that drags enemies into position, pulling targets out of formation for teammates to clean up.
• Withering Talent: The class’s defining mechanic. Suppress and grind down with Sigils, or break enemy lines at the decisive moment. Your build, your call.

The Withered Knight joins an existing roster that includes the Mercenary, Sorcerer, Blackarrow, Shadowstrix, and Seer. It slots cleanly into three-player team compositions as a tempo-setter and crowd-control specialist.

Open Beta: June 14

Mistfall Hunter opens its doors to the full community with a public open beta on Saturday, June 14 at 6:00 PM PT to June 22nd at 3am PT across Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation. The open beta is the first chance for players to experience the full three-player co-op loop ahead of launch.

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Remedy Entertainment dropped a new trailer for Control Resonant, giving us more backstory for our protagonist and confirming a 24th September launch date. Coming to Xbox Series X|S, PS5 and PC.

The trailer features Dylan and Jesse, the latter the lead of the original Control, trying to convince her brother to fight back against the otherworldly forces that are attacking Manhattan island.

The trailer blurb reads “Manhattan is under attack by otherworldly forces. Humanity’s only shot at survival is Dylan Faden, who has to remember how to be human again himself. But can he let go of the echoes of the past? And can he do it before all is lost to the Hiss?”

Also, while the trailer states that the game is coming out on 24th September, the blurb states 27th August. I really hope they can bring this one forward, because everyone else is launching in late September or early October to avoid GTA 6. It will be rough for developers, publishers and gamers who just want to have time to play the games they like the look of.

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We have been permanently standing in a state of ‘Squidward window meme’ since LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight launched on every platform but Switch 2 last month, but Warner Bros. Games finally has some release date news for us.

As revealed in a new trailer (above), LEGO Batman will arrive on Switch 2 on 18th September, and pre-orders are now open!

The Switch 2 launch date will also see the arrival of the game’s ‘Mayhem Collection DLC’, which adds in a playable Joker and Harley Quinn, a new story mission, ‘Mayhem Mode’ and more. The expansion is included in the ‘Deluxe Edition’ release, which also bundles in the ‘Legacy Collection’ extras, three-day early access and the ‘Dark Knight Returns’ Batsuit — that last one is also included with Standard Edition pre-orders.

For those who have missed this one so far, Legacy of the Dark Knight is a new open-world LEGO game set in Gotham City. It’s absolutely full to the brim with Batman in-jokes and references and features the vocal talents of none other than Matt Berry as Bane. Come on, what’s not to like?

The September release window is a pretty stacked one (it joins Insomniac’s Wolverine as another superhero launch in that week), but we’ll be carving out some time, nonetheless. After all, it’s the game we all need.

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TL;DR

Alphabet’s Verily is seeking EPA approval to release 64 million Wolbachia-carrying male mosquitoes in Florida and California over two years  to suppress Aedes aegypti populations. Earlier Debug trials achieved up to 95% reductions in biting mosquitoes in Fresno and 70%+ dengue reduction in Singapore.

Verily, the health and life sciences subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet, has asked the US Environmental Protection Agency for permission to release up to 64 million lab-bred mosquitoes (up to 32 million per year) across Florida and California over two years. The proposal, submitted under the company’s Debug initiative, would deploy male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes carrying Wolbachia bacteria into areas where the species transmits dengue fever, Zika virus, yellow fever, and chikungunya. The EPA is reviewing the application under an experimental use permit, with a public comment period running through early June.

The approach is elegant in its biology. Wolbachia is a naturally occurring bacterium found in roughly 60% of insect species, but not in Aedes aegypti. When lab-reared males carrying Wolbachia mate with wild females that lack it, the resulting eggs do not develop. The males do not bite, do not transmit disease, and cannot reproduce with each other, making the release self-limiting. Each generation of released males reduces the wild population without introducing permanent genetic changes or synthetic chemicals into the environment.

The results so far

Debug has been running field trials since 2017. In Fresno, California, the programme achieved reductions in biting female Aedes aegypti populations of 68% in its first year, over 95% in 2018, and 84% in 2019. The results put it among the most effective biotech-driven population control methods tested at scale in the United States.

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In Singapore, where the government has deployed Wolbachia-based mosquito control as part of its national dengue strategy, releases of sterile males achieved 80% to 90% suppression of Aedes aegypti populations and a more than 70% reduction in dengue cases within six to 12 months. The World Mosquito Program, which operates independently of Verily, has deployed Wolbachia across 14 countries using a different approach that infects both male and female mosquitoes to establish self-sustaining Wolbachia populations in the wild.

How Verily scales it

The challenge with mosquito releases is not the biology but the logistics. Releasing millions of male mosquitoes requires breeding them at scale, sorting them from females with near-perfect accuracy (releasing females would increase biting), and distributing them across target areas at the right density and timing. Verily is applying its parent company’s AI capabilities to each of these steps.

The Debug programme uses AI-powered mosquito sorting systems that can separate males from females using computer vision, automated breeding technology that maintains colony health at industrial scale, and specialised release platforms, including drones and ground-based dispensers, that distribute mosquitoes across target zones. The total programme scope is 64 million mosquitoes, broken down to 16 million per state per year over the two-year permit period. Some outlets have reported the figure as 32 million, which appears to refer to the annual release across both states rather than the full two-year total.

The debate

Not everyone is comfortable with the idea of a tech company releasing tens of millions of insects into the wild. The intersection of AI, biotech, and public health raises questions about corporate involvement in ecological interventions, long-term environmental effects, and community consent. Critics have raised concerns about whether reducing one mosquito species could affect the food chain, whether Wolbachia could transfer to non-target species, and whether corporate-led biological interventions should require stricter oversight than the current EPA permit process provides.

Proponents counter that Aedes aegypti is an invasive species in the Americas, not part of the native ecosystem, and that its removal would have minimal ecological impact. The species is responsible for hundreds of millions of dengue infections annually worldwide, with cases rising sharply as climate change expands the mosquito’s range into previously temperate regions. AI-driven approaches to biological and medical challenges are producing results that traditional methods have struggled to match.

Why it matters for tech

Debug is one of the few surviving projects from Verily’s original mission to apply technology to life sciences at scale. Alphabet has restructured its health ambitions multiple times, shutting down or spinning off various initiatives. While most of Big Tech’s resources flow toward AI infrastructure, Verily’s mosquito programme represents a different kind of applied technology: using automation, computer vision, and logistics software to solve a public health problem that kills hundreds of thousands of people each year.

If the EPA approves the permit, Florida and California would become the largest US deployment of Wolbachia-based mosquito control to date. The decision is expected after the public comment period closes, with releases potentially beginning in late 2026 or early 2027.

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Donkey Kong Bananza is down to $62.99 at Amazon right now, $7 off its original list price, and a 10% saving for those counting. That’s a pretty rare discount for a Nintendo game not that long after release, 6 months at most by my estimates.

While $7 savings isn’t much, all things considered, it’s still a tidy discount for anyone who was holding off until the game got cheaper after shelling out big for that shiny new Switch 2.

Plus, it’s mighty rare for Nintendo games to get any kind of discount so soon after release, so we shall take what we can get, especially on such an excellent game like Donkey Kong Bananza.

As far as I’m aware, Costco had this discount first for members last year, but it seems like sites like Amazon might finally be getting around to price matching in 2026.

But is it worth the price? Donkey Kong Bananza has received what can only be described as a super-duper rare discount sale offer. 10% off isn’t game-changing, but it is a nice saving for those who aren’t just yet ready to pay $70 for a video game.

My advice? Go with your gut. If you want to gift yourself the truly valuable (but not actual currency) gift of time, and end your summer playing one of the best games of the year, then go for it! If $63 is still a little too pricey for you, hold off, cross your fingers, and hope the game gets another discount a few months down the line in 2026.

If you’re already running out of storage space, the next best Switch 2 deal available right now is on the 256GB Samsung P9 MicroSD Express card down to $34.99. Amazon has it discounted as part of its New Year sale, and this is the best price going for expanding your portable consoles storage right now.

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Wondering when Skarner is receiving the next visual and gameplay update (VGU)? Here is what we know about the champion so far.

Image Credits | Riot Games

Skarner VGU 2024 –  Everything We Know So Far

Skarner was voted by the community as the champion that would receive a rework in 2023. Being one of the least-played junglers in the game, due to his dependency on the spires, Skarner will hopefully get a new exciting kit like the recent Aurelion Sol CGU.

At the start of the new 2023 season, Riot Games’ development team updated fans on the upcoming Skarner VGU: “The Skarner VGU team has started exploring ways to dial up his scorpion fantasy,” is what Lexi Gao, Riot’s champion product manager said in the new season announcement video. “At this phase, we’re leaving no arthropod-hiding stone unturned to find exciting themes, kits, and stories.”

The champion won the fan vote last February, beating out Shyvana, Kog’Maw, Tryndamere and Nocturne. This means that it’s been one year since the rework was decided. According to the dev post made by Rioter Lexi “Lexical” Gao, Skarner is one of the least popular champions in League in all areas that we survey, except for familiarity with backstory.

After nearly a year from the previous update, Riot is finally releasing the reworked Skarner. It’s been one hell of a ride, but here we are.

When is the VGU going to hit the live servers?

Riot will be releasing Skarner to the live servers with Patch 14.7, which is planned to be released on April 3, 2024.

Skarner’s new theme

In the dev update, Art Directo Larry “The BravoRay” Ray went on to break Skarner down based on his visual cues: scorpion, crystals, and the good hero archetype. While they did consider keeping the crystal theme, Riot ultimately decided to amplify his good/lawful character archetype and scorpion fantasy, completely omitting the other.

Image Credits | Riot Games

In the end, after considering different power fantasies, they went for elemental magic, thus the link to the Ixtal region.

This allowed us to explore different power fantasies in the Runeterran universe, from Voidspawn to Hextech-empowered. But we decided to hone in on the elemental magic, as we felt it left a lot of creative freedom for every aspect of his development.

“We brought in more of a crustacean’s heavily-weighted shell shape while leveling up his scorpion tail to a three-pronged stinger for grabbing his prey, making him appear like an intimidating indestructible beast to his enemies,” said Larry.

Riot also updated the champion’s description, which you can find below:

The ancient brackern Skarner is revered in Ixtal as one of the founding members of its ruling caste, the Yun Tal, and is devoted to keeping Ixtal safe from the rest of the world by maintaining the region’s isolation. As more members of the Yun Tal begin to question this decision, Skarner grows increasingly paranoid and will do anything to keep Ixtal and its people safe—no matter the cost. 2/2 “I am the first Yun Tal, and I will be the last.” “I am the vanguard of Ixtal’s protection.” “All crumble in the wake of my calamity!

The Skarner Gameplay Rework

In one of the latest dev blogs, we finally got a preview of how Skarner’s kit will look like in the game. To know all the numbers, check out our Skarner ability rundown.

Q ability

The Q will be his moment-to-moment combat ability: Skarner tears a piece of terrain from the Rift itself and carries it around with him. While it’s supposed to have a long cast time, Skarner’s boulder empowers his auto attacks, but he can also throw the boulder for a slow and a big chunk of damage. This should help him improve his clear and then give him the ability to finish off the escaping enemies.

W ability

Skarner smashes the ground, releasing waves from the earth and gaining a shield.

E ability

Skarner’s E is also completely revamped. The champion continually gains movement speed with limited controls and tries to collide with a target. If he finds a target to grab he has a short window to pin them to a wall for a stun and bonus damage. If he manages to smash the target into the wall, Skarner will be able to grab another rock that he can throw with his Q.

R ability

For the ultimate, Skarner can now Impale up to three enemy champions, all while damaging and suppressing them while he gains bonus movement speed for a short time before carrying that champion until the effect ends.

READ ALSO: Riot releases new Dev Update - Skarner, Quick play, and more

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Dead Island 2’s release date has been quite the saga.

Today, Dambuster Studios revealed Dead Island 2 will now make its zombie-riddled debut a week earlier than previously announced.

Yes, make a new note in your diary, as its release date has changed again. We are now expecting the game to launch on 21st April.

“You asked for it, you got it,” the developer shared in a brief update today alongside a collection of messages imploring the Dead Island 2 team to finally get the game out the door.

Needless to say, knowing the game has finally gone gold is a very exciting milestone for all those eager to get their hands on more zombie gore. After all, the game was initially announced all the way back in 2014.

Dead Island 2 is currently available to preorder through the game’s site. Those that choose to do this will get some customary preorder bonuses.

Additionally, when Dead Island 2 does release, it will come with a new gaming feature known as Alexa Game Control.

This feature, announced by Amazon last year, will see players be able to control aspects of their game via voice activated software. In Dead Island 2, this will mean users will be able to help them navigate through LA (or Hell A, as the Dead Island 2 team has branded it) by saying things such as “where is the nearest workbench”.

What holds the most potential for fun, perhaps, is that this new feature will allow Dead Island 2 players to “manipulate zombie hordes” by saying “Hey zombie” into the mic.

For more on Dead Island 2, check out Ian’s interview with developers David Stenton and James Worral, where they talk more about their new and improved version of the game.

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