Pickmon Faces Allegations of Imitating Fan Artists’ Pokémon Designs

Pickmon, a clear imitation of Pokémon, Breath of the Wild, and even Palworld, seems to be a deliberate attempt to provoke Nintendo, known for its aggressive legal stance. However, we might want to hold off on praising the creators of Pickmon for their rebellious spirit, as two independent artists are now claiming that their Pokémon fan art has been copied by the developers.

There’s definitely something off about Pickmon. Call it a gut feeling or an informed suspicion, but the development and publishing teams behind this game are raising red flags. For starters, the developer uses two different names in Pickmon’s debut trailer: “PocketGame” and “PokeGame.” Both names are clear nods to Pokémon and Pocket Monsters, suggesting they might be trying to irritate Nintendo on multiple fronts. The publisher, NETWORKGO, has a name that’s close enough to Nintendo to seem like another cheeky jab. Plus, NETWORKGO’s previous title, Hainya World, appears to have borrowed heavily from MapleStory.

Sure, taking a shot at Nintendo could be seen as bold, especially considering the company’s history of legal battles, but what’s truly unacceptable is the alleged theft of designs from fan artists for profit.

As reported, two Pokémon fan artists have accused Pickmon of copying their designs for Mega Ceruledge and Mega Meganium. While the Mega Ceruledge imitation is less obvious, the design by artist el.psy.fake for Mega Meganium looks nearly identical in Pickmon.

“Pickmon, an upcoming game that’s been accused of ripping off designs from other artists and famous franchises like Pokémon, has also stolen one of my designs,” el.psy.fake stated in an Instagram post. “They didn’t even try to change something and make it a bit less obvious.”

Sadly, this situation seems to be a calculated move by the Pickmon team to generate buzz around their game. Their official YouTube channel has been boasting about the negative attention they’ve garnered, claiming, “A huge thank you to all the gaming media! Thanks to your support, we’ve hit 25 million impressions in under 48 hours. We couldn’t have done it without you!”

Unfortunately, these independent artists are left powerless in this scenario. It’s a shame there isn’t a major gaming company with a solid legal case to hold them accountable. The fact that I find myself rooting for Nintendo really highlights how low the Pickmon team has sunk.