Pickmon shaves a letter, sparks furious fan backlash
The gaming world is reeling after developer PocketGame dramatically rebranded its upcoming Pokémon-inspired title, ‘Pickmon,’ to ‘Pickmos’ – a change met with immediate and incandescent fury from a fanbase already deeply skeptical of the project.
A name change born of crisis
Initial trailers for Pickmon, unveiled last month, were a spectacular disaster. Comparisons to Pikachu, Charizard, and even Link from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild were unavoidable, triggering a torrent of criticism. The hero’s mountain-top glide, a blatant nod to Hyrule, was particularly damning.
Legal maneuvering and a defensive stance
PocketGame’s response, posted to social media, attempts to frame the name change as a branding exercise—a “complete Ecosystem. A grand Cosmos.” But the statement reveals a deeper issue: accusations of blatant plagiarism. The developer is now aggressively deflecting blame, claiming it’s ‘legally fine’ to borrow heavily from established franchises, including Nintendo itself, citing a separate lawsuit over Palworld.
Fan outrage mounts
The response to the name change has been swift and brutal. “Delete the game and never exist again,” one X/Twitter user declared, accompanied by hundreds of likes. The sentiment is widespread: accusations of stolen designs and a lack of originality dominate the conversation. Many fans are demanding Nintendo intervene, citing potential legal action.
A familiar problem, repeated
Adding fuel to the fire, leaked concept art reveals a striking resemblance to Mega Meganium, an unofficial fan-created design. Pickmon’s social media team has responded to these claims with a dismissive, almost insulting, boilerplate statement, questioning the authenticity of the original artist’s trademark rights—a tactic that only serves to further enrage the community.
The bottom line: a failing project
Despite the rebranding, the underlying problems remain. The core design issues—the unsettling similarities to Pokémon and other established IPs—haven’t been addressed. ‘Pickmos’ may have a shinier title, but it’s still fundamentally a shadow project plagued by accusations of theft and lacking a genuine identity.