Pickmon developer PocketGame has announced that it’ll be changing the name of the game by swapping one consonant out for another. Now titled “Pickmos,” the studio claims this was done to “better align” with its brand identity, and not because the project bears a striking resemblance to Pokemon and Palworld.
“Since the beginning of development, we have been dedicated to building a unique and profound ecological world. To better align with our brand identity and lore, our title is officially changing–Pickmon to Pickmos,” PocketGame wrote in a social media post. “What does ‘mos’ 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.”
Curiously, creatures in Pickmos are still referred to as Pickmon, which might still land the game in Nintendo’s legal crosshairs. While the idea of collecting creatures and sending them out to battle isn’t the sole intellectual property of Nintendo and The Pokemon Company, there’s no getting around just how blatant some of the Pickmon look when compared to Pokemon. A quick glance at the menagerie reveals creatures that look similar to well-known Pokemon like the series mascot Pikachu and other critters like Charizard, Lucario, and Xerneas. Pickmos has also been accused of using stolen Pokemon fanart by multiple “fakemon” fan artists.
Other aspects of Pickmos–like capturing Pickmon with Poke Ball-inspired cards and survival-crafting gameplay–don’t do much to dispel the comparisons to Pokemon, Palworld, and a few more games. Nintendo isn’t afraid to flex its legal muscles either, as Palworld developer found itself on the receiving end of several lawsuits from the company. The studio was forced to make several compromises to Palworld’s gameplay after it was accused of infringing on several patents.
For now, Pickmos is scheduled to launch for PC and Switch in the future.