After Palworld, Similar to Pokémon, Pickmon Emerges as a Clone of Both Games

As Nintendo's lawsuit against Pocketpair for alleged Pokémon plagiarism in Palworld continues, the Chinese studio Pocketgame has released Pickmon, a game with clear similarities to both Pokémon and Palworld. The release of Palworld in 2024 ignited debate about the boundary between inspiration and imitation, especially its concept of "Pokémon with weapons." Nintendo responded by suing Pocketpair, seeking recognition of Palworld as plagiarism, its removal from sale, and financial compensation. This case remains unresolved, and proving plagiarism has proven difficult. Pickmon, developed by Pocketgame and published by NETWORKGO, is a survival game featuring base building, farming, automation, and multiplayer. Players capture creatures using specialized cards. Pickmon is currently available on Steam (app ID 4358270). Following the game's announcement, NintendoLife highlighted resemblances between Pickmon and other titles. The main character strongly resembles Link from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and one creature evokes Pikachu. The trailer features a creature similar to Rayquaza, alongside others familiar to Pokémon and Palworld players. Unlike Pokémon, where creatures are caught with balls, Pickmon summons them using magic cards.

Social media users have also noted the game's derivative designs, with many pointing out the similarities to existing franchises. Some joked that Pickmon's designs are closer to Pokémon's original inspirations, while others quipped about already having "Pikachu at home." Artists such as el.psy.fake on Instagram and pokejaykay on Twitter have accused Pickmon of copying their fan-made Pokémon designs for its characters, sparking controversy and drawing some players to the game. Pocketgame, based in China where intellectual property enforcement is often lax, describes Pickmon as an open-world survival game where players capture, breed, battle, and utilize creatures to build bases. The game features visual similarities to creatures like Charizard (Pokémon) and Anubis (Palworld). The Nintendo lawsuit against Pocketpair underscores the difficulty of proving plagiarism based solely on visual resemblance. Patents, such as the Poké Ball's capture mechanism, provide stronger legal ground, leading Palworld to avoid this mechanic. Pickmon appears to bypass this issue by using cards instead of balls. A release date has not been announced, and the game is expected to launch on PC unless Nintendo or Pocketpair intervene.

Pickmon's Card-Based Collection System Fueling Debate on Originality and Intellectual Property in Gaming World

Featuring familiar elements and a card-based collection system, Pickmon adds to the ongoing discussion about originality and intellectual property within the gaming world.

In Case You Missed It

In our news roundup today, we've got a trio of insightful posts from PlayersForLife that you won't want to miss. Kicking things off, Carlos Mendoza takes a deep dive into the international economic scene with his latest post, "Dollar Operates at High Value". Published just this past Tuesday, Carlos explores how the Brazilian real is holding up amidst global market stability and recent oil price fluctuations, making it an essential read for anyone interested in understanding the complex interplay between currency exchange rates and commodity prices. Give it a read here Dollar Operates at High Value. Shifting our focus to Blizzard's esports scene, Bruno Pferd has just dropped "Blizzard Classic Cup Announces Its Captains" on March 11th. In this piece, Bruno reveals that Nick 'Tasteless' Plott and Dan 'Artosis' Stemkoski will be leading the charge as captains for this year's Classic Cup at BlizzCon, promising intense competition across four classic titles – Heroes of the Storm, StarCraft: Remastered, StarCraft II, and Warcraft III: Reforged. Check it out here Blizzard Classic Cup Announces Its Captains to stay up-to-date on all the BlizzCon esports action! Lastly, if crossovers have piqued your curiosity, Ahmed Hassan's 'Believe it if you can: Pickmon Blends Pokémon, Palworld, and Zelda; is it Plagiarism?' published on March 10th, is a must-read. This piece explores Pocketgame's upcoming title, Pickmon, set to release across Steam, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation, as Ahmed delves into the debate surrounding plagiarism in gaming sparked by this new game's blend of inspiration from beloved franchises like Pokémon, Palworld, and The Legend of Zelda series. Dive in to see what all the fuss is about here Believe it if you can: Pickmon Blends Pokémon, Palworld, and Zelda; is it Plagiarism?.