Is Palworld a Generative AI Pokemon Knock-Off?

That’s what everyone seems to be saying these days. Truth be told, the CEO of Pocket Pair (the developer of Palword), Takuro Mizobe, showed interest in creating an AI experiment related to Pokemon. But that is the only link between AI, Pokemon, and Palworlds.

Here’s a breakdown of the situation to help you grasp the nuances:

Background of the Game and Controversy

• Palworld’s Popularity: Within three days of its Early Access launch, Palworld became a highly popular game. However, its rapid rise in popularity also sparked controversy.
• Some accuse Palworld of borrowing elements from Pokémon for its “Pals,” suggesting a lack of originality in character design.
• There’s also a simultaneous claim that the developers, Pocket Pair, used GenAI in the game’s development. However, as of now, there is no solid evidence to support this.

Evidence and Speculations

• As stated above, Mizobe showed interest in AI and Pokemon, but there’s no proof that any of the Pals were generated with AI. Later, Mizobe later commented favorably on the use of GenAI, which irks some, but not me (you can see all my previous posts on GenAI)
• In 2022, Pocket Pair released “AI: Art…