A Palworld leak reveals a Pal similar to the Pokémon Mewtwo: the plagiarism debate continues

Palworld datamining appears to have revealed a Pal strikingly similar in appearance to Mewtwo from the Pokémon series, once again reigniting the debate over accusations of plagiarism.

Long before Palworld became the cultural phenomenon it is today in 2024, it was called the “Pokémon with guns. “And while the current early access release is more similar to survival games like Ark in its structure, Pals is getting a lot of criticism.

With dozens of designs resembling those found in the Pokémon franchise, controversy runs high. The Pokémon Company itself even gave its opinion a few days ago.

Now, according to supposed datamining, even more eerily similar Pals could soon be arriving in Palworld.

Datamining Images Reveal a Pal Very Similar to Pokémon’s Mewtwo

Pokémon YouTuber Lewtwo was among the first to share a Palworld design taken from the game’s code. Eurogamer managed to speak with original leaker Brian Cozzens who accidentally found this particular design while compiling 3D models found in the game.

In this case, it is a “Dark Mutant” Pal who is called into question. Indeed, the leak revealed a creature strangely resembling Mewtwo. From its pointy ears to its three fingers and toes, the Pal’s design takes undeniable inspiration from the popular Pokémon.

hahahaha holy shit at this Palworld design that they left in the data you cannot be serious man pic.twitter.com/dM113dudrE

— Lewtwo (@Lewchube) January 26, 2024

Creating a stir on social media for the similarity, Lewtwo shared the image saying “You guys aren’t serious.”Three million reactions later and the existing controversy has been reignited.

There were many reactions including: “This guy is angry [because] Pokémon hasn’t released a good game since Black & White 2”, “Competition is good”, “It’s ‘looks way better than Mewtwo’, and ‘It’s just extremely blatant that it’s stolen’. They are fairly representative of the variety of opinions among players.

Palworld vs Pokémon pic.twitter.com/L8IdKjy5U7

— dexerto (@dexerto) January 28, 2024

The developers at Palworld have obviously fought back against accusations of Pokémon plagiarism, but millions of players are still debating. And now, with the game in The Pokémon Company’s crosshairs, legal action appears to be coming.

But for now, Palworld continues to thrive with rapid sales and a colossal audience on streaming platforms. Whether this Mewtwo-style Pal will make its way into the final game is pure speculation at this point.