{"id":8365,"date":"2026-04-13T19:48:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T16:48:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/2026\/04\/13\/after-widespread-criticism-for-being-a-pokemon-clone-pickmon-developer-announces-name-change-to-better-align-with-our-brand-identity-and-lore\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T19:48:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T16:48:12","slug":"after-widespread-criticism-for-being-a-pokemon-clone-pickmon-developer-announces-name-change-to-better-align-with-our-brand-identity-and-lore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/2026\/04\/13\/after-widespread-criticism-for-being-a-pokemon-clone-pickmon-developer-announces-name-change-to-better-align-with-our-brand-identity-and-lore\/","title":{"rendered":"After Widespread Criticism for Being a Pok\u00e9mon Clone, Pickmon Developer Announces Name Change &#8216;To Better Align With Our Brand Identity and Lore&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Following widespread fan complaints over copied character designs, the developer of upcoming Steam Pok\u00e9mon-like Pickmon has said it is now changing the game&#8217;s name \u2014 by one letter \u2014 to Pickmos.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Pickmon, or rather Pickmos, was unveiled last month to widespread criticism from Pok\u00e9mon fans, who pointed out the many similarities in its roster of monsters to the likes of Pikachu, Charizard and Lucario. The game&#8217;s trailer even features a hero who could be mistaken for The Legend of Zelda&#8217;s Link, who glides off of a mountain top in what could be scene from Breath of the Wild. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Response to the trailer was universally negative, with many fans actively calling for Nintendo to lawyer up and sue Pickmos&#8217; developer PocketGame (not to be confused with PocketPair, the developer of Palworld, which Nintendo actually is suing).<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;Dear Players, since the beginning of development, we have been dedicated to building a unique and profound ecological world,&#8221; PocketGame wrote in a statement posted to social media today. &#8220;To better align with our brand identity and lore, our title is officially changing: Pickmon \u2192 Pickmos. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;What does &#8216;-mos&#8217; represent? A complete Ecosystem. A grand Cosmos. This name carries a more powerful presence, acting as a better vessel for the fantasy adventure we are building for you. But we cute creatures, are still collectively known as Pickmon! See you in the world of Pickmos!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Other than the title change, nothing else about the game appears to have changed since last month. Indeed, the message was shared alongside another look at the game&#8217;s concept art, with designs similar to Pok\u00e9mon still present. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-theme=\"light\">\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\" lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Game Renaming Announcement:The Evolution of Pickmos<br \/>Dear Players,<br \/>Since the beginning of development,<br \/>we have been dedicated to building<br \/>a unique and profound ecological world.<br \/>To better align with our brand identity and lore,<br \/>our title is officially changing:\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/3sgnTkvbTd<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Pickmos \/ Pickmon \/ \u30d4\u30c3\u30af\u30e2\u30b9 (@PickMon_EN) April 10, 2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Of particular note in that concept art is a creature similar to Mega Meganium,  an unofficial monster drawn by a fan in a design which many have said Pickmon has since copied without credit. The official Pickmon social media account has even begun responding to comments about this situation with a boilerplate statement, essentially saying that it believes it is legally fine to do so:<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;Could you please ask Mr. Fakemon to provide proof of the trademark rights for the designs in question?&#8221; the Pickmon account wrote, in message posted to various critical comments. &#8220;Our designs are handled by a professional team that manages all trademark filings. Our team has searched the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) database and found no record of Mr. Fakemon&#8217;s company holding trademarks for the creatures shown in your images. If there are any legitimate concerns, our legal counsel will coordinate with our Art Director to make the necessary adjustments.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Response to today&#8217;s name change does not seem to have improved fan perception of the game. &#8220;Delete the game and never exist again,&#8221; reads one response on X\/Twitter with hundreds of likes. &#8220;You stolen many artist&#8217;s design.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span data-cy=\"slideshow-view-trigger\"><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-preview\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 slideshow-preview\">\n<h3 class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-1085005187\" data-cy=\"slideshow-preview-title\">The Best Pok\u00e9mon Spin-off Games<\/h3>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-container\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 images-container\"><button type=\"button\" data-cy=\"hero-image\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 hero-image\">&lt;img alt=&quot;When a franchise reaches the hulking size of Pok\u00e9mon, it finds its way into everything. The Pok\u00e9mon Company\u2019s games have touched almost every genre, we\u2019ve seen its characters rendered in almost every art style, and we\u2019ve seen them battle a pantheon of gods and monsters. A universe of Pok\u00e9mon games exists outside of the core series, and this month we\u2019re treated to a new major spin-off from the franchise in Pok\u00e9mon Pokopia.<\/p>\n<p>By moving away from the classic turn-based RPG formula, spin-off games allow us to see different shades of the Pokemon universe and experience it in a new light. While the core Pok\u00e9mon games can be boiled down to the competitive side of things, they\u2019re also about building an emotional attachment to your team, immersing yourself in this strange, utopic universe and, most importantly, being enchanted by the lore of the world and interacting with myths and legends. The best spin-offs focus on those other aspects and enhance that sense of wonder.<\/p>\n<p>With Pokopia having just landed, this is the perfect time to celebrate all the different ways the pocket monsters have deviated from their usual turn-based RPG roots, and rank the top 10 Pok\u00e9mon spin-off games.<br \/>\n&#8221; decoding=&#8221;async&#8221; class=&#8221;progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity&#8221; loading=&#8221;lazy&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/after-widespread-criticism-for-being-a-pokemon-clone-pickmon-developer-announces-name-change-to-better-align-with-our-brand-identity-and-lore.gif&#8221; data-cy=&#8221;progressive-image&#8221;&gt;<span class=\"button-text jsx-729543028 button button--primary jsx-3381835873 jsx-4266531355 row-pagination-button next contained centered round large\" data-cy=\"paginate next\" title=\"Open Slideshow\"><span class=\"ign-icon right-chevron jsx-2750866048 jsx-2919720488\" role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-cy=\"right-chevron\"><\/span><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;You think we&#8217;re stupid?&#8221; reads another reply. &#8220;Everyone knows that you&#8217;re making nothing more than blatant plagiarized slop with no creativity or identity to stand out. I thought Palworld was bad, you made me change my mind after not only plagiarizing Pok\u00e9mon, but also fakemon, Zelda, Overwatch, etc.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;We have shared the community&#8217;s feedback with our Art Director for further review,&#8221; the official account responded.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\"><em>Tom Phillips is IGN&#8217;s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky <\/em>@tomphillipseg.bsky.social<\/p>\n<div class=\"media_block\"><a href=\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/after-widespread-criticism-for-being-a-pokemon-clone-pickmon-developer-announces-name-change-to-better-align-with-our-brand-identity-and-lore.webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/after-widespread-criticism-for-being-a-pokemon-clone-pickmon-developer-announces-name-change-to-better-align-with-our-brand-identity-and-lore.webp\" class=\"media_thumbnail\"><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><a href=\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/after-widespread-criticism-for-being-a-pokemon-clone-pickmon-developer-announces-name-change-to-better-align-with-our-brand-identity-and-lore.webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/after-widespread-criticism-for-being-a-pokemon-clone-pickmon-developer-announces-name-change-to-better-align-with-our-brand-identity-and-lore.webp\" class=\"media_thumbnail\"><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8366,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[50],"class_list":["post-8365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-49","tag-50"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8365"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8365\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8366"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}