Palworld Drops Gliding Pals as the Nintendo Patent Fight Continues

Palworld has spent its early access run shipping a steady stream of updates since 2024, but the latest news from Pocketpair Inc. is about a feature leaving the game, not arriving in it. Following the removal of Pal Spheres in November 2024, gliding Pals are the next casualty.

Why Gliding Pals Are Gone

Pocketpair shared the announcement on its X account, thanking the community before turning to the elephant in the room: the patent dispute with Nintendo.

"Currently, we remain involved in prolonged legal proceedings regarding alleged patent infringement. We continue to dispute these claims and assert the invalidity of the patents in question. However, we have had to make certain compromises in order to avoid disruptions to the development and distribution of Palworld."

Nintendo filed its patent infringement claim back in September 2024, arguing that Palworld leaned too heavily on Pokémon mechanics. The early focus was on Pal Spheres, which clearly echoed Poké Balls. With those already cut from the game, the studio is now widening the scope of what it has to change.

What Patch 0.5.5 Actually Changes

Starting with version 0.5.5, you can no longer hook onto a Pal and ride the wind. Gliders are now solo equipment, and your character is responsible for staying airborne. Some Pals will still contribute passive buffs to gliding, but they will not physically carry you anywhere.

The exact list of those passive buffs has not been confirmed. For players who treated their flying Pals as a permanent travel companion, this is a real loss. Mount-based flying is untouched, so traveling by air is still on the table, just without the iconic image of dangling from a Pal's claws.

How Gliding Pals Used to Function

Before the change, Pocketpair offered four Pals built specifically around descent and aerial movement. Each one fit a different play style:

• Hangyu: lifted the player higher while gliding.
• Celaray: sustained quick movement over long distances mid-glide.
• Killamari: kept the player floating for extended stretches.
• Galeclaw: let the player fire a weapon while gliding.

Four is not a huge roster, but each one had a clear role, and that made them feel essential rather than optional. None of these Pals are being deleted from Palworld itself. You can still catch them, keep them in your party, and likely benefit from whatever passive perks Pocketpair settles on.

What Comes Next for Gliding

Nothing has been confirmed about replacements, but the safest bet is that crafting will pick up the slack. The basic glider already required materials and a recipe, so it is reasonable to expect stronger, tiered versions to follow. That would let Pocketpair recreate the feeling of progression without leaning on a Pal's anatomy. Lawyers tend to dislike that.

For now, this is informed speculation. Until 0.5.5 lands in full and the studio shares specifics, players can only watch how the patent dispute keeps reshaping the systems they have grown attached to.