Is Palworld Using AI Art?
I’m no artist by any means. But even I have to admit that some of these old pals in Palworld have got some inspiration from Pokemon. Whether it’s plagiarism or AI art is another story. As I write this, Palworld has already sold another million copies since yesterday. Further shattering records with over 6 million copies sold. It’s Tuesday morning, and it’s currently at almost 2 million concurrent players. This makes Palworld the 2nd most-played Steam game of all time. May I remind you that this is on a weekday morning, while people are at work?
Well, what about AI? I mentioned in my last article that people have been accusing Palworld of using AI art in their game. However, since the accusations first dropped, people have ripped assets apart and made their comparisons. Yet, no actual evidence of AI art has been found. Palworld’s developer Pocket Pair, a Tokyo-based indie company has used AI art in the past. The prominent time being for a game called AI: Art Imposter. But the only argument found in Palworld is just the classic “you can copy my homework but just change it up a bit” creature designs.
Palworld Developer Pocket Pair Has Used AI in the Past, but It Seems Absent Here
So if AI didn’t “make” any assets for the game, is it possible AI had something to do with the designs for Pals? Maybe, but some people aren’t convinced. Like in the tweets embedded below, Palworld fans are claiming a lot of these designs are a stretch.
Others are valiantly defending poor little multi-billion dollar indie company Nintendo and getting meme’d on.
Let’s All Be Pals Now and Get Along
Some “X” users have also pointed out that Pocket Pair has had some eerily similar games to existing ones in the past like this Hollow Knight clone, “NeverGrave” Which I can see is pretty 1 to 1 with the beloved indie game.
All this discourse is making my head spin. Will Nintendo sue Pocket Pair? Well, since the reveal trailer was shown 2 years ago. I don’t think so. Is there a case for plagiarism in some designs? Probably. AI art though? I still haven’t found any evidence of AI art in this cutesy gun-ravaging game. I’m only 10 hours in so far and I’m just now starting to unlock those long-awaited firearms with friends.
Do I feel strongly either way about Palworld having plagiarism or AI? No, and it seems 6 million others aren’t either. Stay in touch here on Wicked Good Gaming, share your own opinions and thoughts about this in the comments, and stay tuned for a Palworld review coming soon!
