The alarmingly Pokémon-like open-world creature collecting action game Pickmon has changed its name, ostensibly to “better align with our brand identity and lore”, but probably also to get out of Nintendo’s lawyers’ way.
Pickmon surfaced on Steam last month and, in its debut trailer (watch it below), showed a world filled to the brim with creature designs that are dangerously close to Pokémon’s own. Fans of that long-running Nintendo series weren’t happy, saying things like “Gotta Sue Them All” and “Lawsuit speedrun” in the YouTube comments.
Pickmon developer PocketGame responded – not to be confused with Palworld developer PocketPair (even company names aren’t safe) – with a statement that promised to engage the community when it comes to developing new features and adding designs to the game.
A couple of weeks later, PocketGame has decided to give Pickmon a new name: Pickmos. This better aligns with the game’s brand identity and lore because apparently “-mos” evokes to “a grand cosmos” and “a complete ecosystem”. “This name carries a more powerful presence, acting as a better vessel for the fantasy adventure we are building for you,” PocketGame said. “But [the] cute creatures are still collectively known as Pickmon!”
But the reaction to this change hasn’t been favourable either. “You think we’re stupid? Everyone knows that you’re making nothing more than blatant plagiarised slop with no creativity or identity to stand out,” said one user while sharing screenshots highlighting some of those similar designs. Even Overwatch hero Roadhog has somehow been absorbed into the game’s strange mix, alongside a player character that’s a barely altered Link from Breath of the Wild.
The official Pickmos account is replying with variations of the same statement. “According to our Design Patent Department,” one of these replies reads, “the outlines are completely different. Colors cannot be patented; for a Western dragon design to be considered an infringement, it would require an identical outline.”
Pickmos currently has no release date and only a PC (Steam) release has been confirmed.
