Nintendo is attempting to safe a touchscreen-specific monster-catching patent that might be related to Palworld Cell. Japan’s patent workplace has initially rejected the appliance for missing an ingenious step over prior artwork, however the firm might enchantment or amend the claims. Video games Fray studies: The Japan Patent Workplace (JPO) has now made a brand new monster-catching patent software by Nintendo public. Patent Software No. 2026-019762 covers monster-catching of the sort already asserted towards the PC and console variations of Palworld and is from the identical patent household as two of the three patents Nintendo is already asserting towards Palworld, however with a touchscreen focus. Potential targets are the upcoming Palworld Cell recreation and Tencent’s Roco Kingdom: World, which is presently accessible solely in China however prone to broaden internationally. Nintendo filed the appliance this 12 months with a request for a fast-tracked assessment. The JPO has certainly been fast, and the response is that Nintendo’s software lacks an ingenious step over the prior artwork.
Nintendo already amended the claims in February and might attempt to amend them once more. It could possibly attempt to persuade the examiner and probably enchantment the choice. However the preliminary rejection means that Nintendo won’t get hold of the specified touchscreen monster-catching patent shortly. The rejection was communicated on April 24, 2026. Nintendo might abandon the appliance now, however Nintendo being Nintendo, they’re extra prone to attempt to persuade the examiner to reach at a distinct conclusion, despite the fact that the explanations for the rejection are robust. In lots of patent examination processes, the preliminary rejection is basically simply an invite to current one’s finest arguments. Right here, nevertheless, the rejection discover is so well-reasoned that it is going to be an uphill battle for Nintendo. Nintendo’s software would cowl a touchscreen-controlled recreation wherein a participant strikes by “a subject in a digital area,” makes use of “a seize merchandise for capturing a subject character,” and might summon “a battle character” to combat that creature. Throughout fight, the sport would show “a plurality of instructions together with at the very least an assault command and an merchandise command,” chosen by “an operation enter utilizing the contact panel.”
The important thing declare is that when the seize merchandise is used “throughout a battle” or “in a non-battle state,” the sport performs “a seize success dedication,” and, if profitable, “the sector character is captured and set to a state owned by the participant.”
