Pickmon may be the most controversial game yet to be released in 2026, and I'm starting to think that's entirely intentional. Billed as a multiplayer open-world survival game for PC, it was immediately ridiculed over its apparent similarities to Pokémon not just in its name but in many of the character designs.
The game has also been accused of taking liberal doses of inspiration from other Nintendo IPs, including Legend of Zelda, and it's even alleged that Pickmon used Pokémon fan art.
Now, developer PocketGame has announced a change that might superficially be seen as an attempt to distance itself from the slop allegations. It's changing the game's name by a single letter.
You think we're stupid? Everyone knows that you'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 Pokémon, but also fakemon, Zelda, overwatch, etc. pic.twitter.com/0rxJPdS02RApril 13, 2026
Pickmon is now Pickmos. In its statement, publisher PocketGame says it's changing the game's name to "better align with our brand identity and lore".
The new '-mos' suffix is taken from the word 'cosmos'. The company claims this "carries a more powerful presence, acting as a better vessel for the fantasy adventure we are building for you".
But the only change is in the name. The game's characters, including the many Pokémon lookalikes, will continue to be called 'pickmon'. There's no suggestion that efforts have been made to differentiate the designs, and the art allegedly stolen from Pokémon fans remains in use, which makes the announcement a little hard to take seriously.
Unsurprisingly, Pokémon fans were not impressed.
"You think we're stupid? Everyone knows that you'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 Pokémon, but also fakemon, Zelda, Overwatch, etc," one person wrote in response on X.
The game's X account's responses make me wonder whether the backlash is exactly what it's looking for. Is it me, or is there a note of sarcasm in comments like "I will discuss this with our Art Director immediately" in responses to angry Pokémon fans. Has rage bait become a form of game marketing?
