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"This game is going to get heavily sued by Nintendo"
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Signup + An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletterAmid all the Pokemon and Palworld clones out there, fans have found one that may just take the cake as the most egregious yet – a so-called "multiplayer open-world survival crafter" known as Pickmon… yes, Pickmon.
Over a year ago, the Nintendo-owned Pokemon Company filed a lawsuit against Palworld developer Pocketpair for patent infringement – a case that's still ongoing. It's a situation that's still fresh in fans' memories, especially with Palworld's big 1.0 update underway. It seems like Nintendo and Pocketpair might have to set their sights elsewhere for a bit, however, as Pickmon is undeniably a doppelganger of sorts… of both games.
As per its official Steam page, Pickmon is currently in development by a studio called – wait for it – PocketGame. No, not Pocketpair. PocketGame. Much like in Pokemon and Palworld, you're tasked with building up a team of "Pickmon" to "fight, farm, and build industrial empires while thwarting a shadowy organization's plot." I wonder what the organization could be called. Team Shmocket? Shmayne Shmyndicate?
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In all seriousness, the whole creature-collecting vibe matches Pokemon and Palworld's, except you use cards to capture Pickmon. It's not like a deck builder or anything – you literally fling singular cards at the beasties to catch them. Unsurprisingly, the web has caught wind of the game and the fact that it's, well, undeniably a blatant clone. One person points out the similarity between PocketGame and Pocketpair in a post, amused.
They’re even called PocketGame LMAOI cant stop laughing We’re now living in the Slop era of Slop World clones😭 https://t.co/O3BeMCHwDnMarch 9, 2026
"They're even called PocketGame LMAO," they write. "I can't stop laughing. We're now living in the Slop era of Slop World clones." Elsewhere, another person shares a thread noting that the Pickmon screenshots feature an obvious copy of Pokemon's own Charizard. "My brother in Christ, they even copied Charizard and made him into a bird type. What fresh madness did we all wake up to today?"
This game is going to get heavily sued by Nintendo, it's got Pikachu, Charizard, straight up rip offs of Pokemon and is called "PickMon"? what am I seeing right now? pic.twitter.com/U96RjHiLP9March 9, 2026
Interestingly enough, a commenter points out that it might actually be a rip-off of a Palworld design redone to look like a Pokemon design. "There's layers to this because that's a stolen model from Palworld edited to look like a Charizard," they explain. "The same way Palworld made its models using Pokemon as bases." Attached is a picture of Quivern from Palworld, which, when mixed with Charizard, looks like the Pickmon model.
"It's like this whole game is made to parody Palworld's bad practices by highlighting what they did," the person concludes. A separate poster echoes the sentiment that Pickmon is indeed a shameless clone, stating, "This game is going to get heavily sued by Nintendo; it's got Pikachu, Charizard, straight up rip-offs of Pokemon, and is called 'Pickmon?' What am I seeing right now?" I mean, I do see their point.
Sign up to the GamesRadar+ NewsletterContact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.And apparently, plenty of other folks do, too. My favorite thing to come of all this has to be the humor surrounding it, though. As one user jokes, "Y'know what, I think it's really ballsy to even jack the shit from Palworld. I hope someone makes a game that just rips Pickmon's designs too, and it just becomes this weird game of telephone." Wouldn't that be something? Keep your eyes peeled for Pickpalmon, I suppose.
"Hurry up with Palworld 1.0": An impatient fan spams Pocketpair's indie publishing arm with a "great pitch" begging for the survival game's full launch
TOPICS The Pokemon Company CATEGORIES Nintendo Switch 2 Nintendo Switch PC Gaming PS5 Xbox Series X Pokemon Platforms Nintendo PlayStation Xbox Adventure Games
Anna KoselkeSocial Links NavigationStaff WriterAfter spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.
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