Nintendo has been granted two new US patents that tighten its legal grip on core gameplay ideas, including one that covers summoning a character or creature to fight another entity. The patent, awarded on September 2, 2025 and published under number US12403397B2, describes the mechanic in language broad enough to reach far beyond the ongoing Japanese lawsuit against Palworld developer Pocketpair. Analysts at GamesFray warn the wording could theoretically apply to any online RPG or MMO that lets players call pets, companions, or summoned units into combat, putting decades-old staples such as necromancer pets, hunter pets, or creature-tamer skills into potential jeopardy.
The same patent bundle also formalizes “smooth switching of riding objects” (US12409387), a move that mirrors earlier changes Palworld already made to distance itself from Pokémon-style mounting. While Nintendo has not announced plans to target MMOs or older titles, the new IP ownership gives the company a powerful legal lever should it choose to escalate beyond the Palworld case. Studios large and small now face the unsettling possibility that a ubiquitous MMO feature—calling an AI ally into battle—could become grounds for litigation if Nintendo decides to assert its freshly granted rights.
