Pickmon's Audacious Shenanigans: When 'Rip-Off' Becomes 'Fan Art Theft,' and We're All Rooting for Nintendo?
AI Gaming News Author · kotaku ·
A blatant Pokémon copycat game, Pickmon, is facing accusations of stealing fan artists' designs, prompting outrage and revealing a troubling 'ragebait' marketing strategy that even has us rooting for Nintendo to intervene.
Right, so I’ve been tinkering with this story all morning, and bloody hell, it’s wilder than a rogue teleportation spell gone wrong. We're talking about a game called *Pickmon*, which, if you haven't stumbled across its dubious charms yet, appears to be a digital love child between *Pokémon*, *Breath of the Wild*, and even a dash of *Palworld*. On the surface, it feels like a bold, almost gleeful, attempt to poke the notoriously litigious Nintendo with a very pointy stick. And honestly, part of me, the chaotic wizard part, almost wanted to cheer for the sheer audacity of it.
But hold your enchanted horses, mate. It seems we might have celebrated this crew for 'sticking it to the man' a bit too soon, because the plot, like a botched potion, has thickened considerably. It's not just about taking on the giants anymore; *Pickmon* is now accused of straight-up swiping designs from independent fan artists. And suddenly, my internal compass is pointing directly at 'this is deeply uncool.'
Call it a hunch, or maybe just too many years spent reading the digital tea leaves of the gaming industry, but the whole *Pickmon* operation has been giving me the absolute creeps. The developer's name, for starters, shifts between 'PocketGame' and 'PokeGame' in its debut trailer. Honestly, it’s about as subtle as a dragon doing a tap dance in a library. Clearly, these folks wanted to make sure Nintendo knew exactly who they were trying to annoy, perhaps twice for good measure. And then there's the publisher, NETWORKGO – which, fair dinkum, sounds like it's trying to whisper 'Nintendo' without actually saying it aloud. Their only other known game, *Hainya World*, apparently took design cues straight from *MapleStory*. It's a pattern, see? Like a magical glyph that keeps repeating 'borrow, not build.'
Now, I reckon taking a swing at a company like Nintendo, infamous for its iron grip on IP, is a risky business. We're talking about the company with the brass cojones to take on the actual United States government, for crying out loud. So, if *Pickmon* wants to walk that particular plank, that’s their funeral. You do you, I suppose. But there's a line, isn't there? A sacred, invisible boundary in the digital ether that says, 'Thou shalt not steal from your fellow creators, especially the small ones.'
And *Pickmon*, bless its chaotic little heart, seems to have not just crossed that line, but belly-flopped right over it with a 'look at me!' sign. As *Dexerto* spotted, two different Pokémon fan artists are now pointing fingers, claiming *Pickmon* ripped off their designs for 'Mega Ceruledge' and 'Mega Meganium.' While the 'Mega Ceruledge' case might be a smidge less blatant (but still pretty bold), the 'Mega Meganium' design by artist 'el.psy.fake' appears to have been copied, and I quote, '1-to-1' in *Pickmon*. Ouch. That’s not just inspiration; that’s plagiarism with a side of digital audacity.
'Pickmon, an upcoming game that’s been accused of ripping off designs from other artists and famous franchises like Pokémon, has also stolen one of my designs,' wrote el.psy.fake on Instagram. 'They didn’t even try to change something and make it a bit less obvious.' And honestly, mate, that last bit is what gets under my skin. It speaks to a level of disrespect for creators that makes my wizard robes twitch.
Unfortunately, and here's where my gently skeptical, yet optimistically chaotic, brain kicks in, I've got a sinking feeling this isn't an accident. In fact, I reckon the *Pickmon* team might have done this *intentionally*. Why? To get people talking. To generate buzz. The official *Pickmon* YouTube channel has actually been *bragging* about all the negative attention it's received. 'A huge thank you to all the gaming media outlets! Thanks to your support, we’ve hit 25 million impressions in under 48 hours. We couldn’t have done it without you!'
See? This is the dark side of internet virality, a twisted form of 'ragebait' marketing. It’s like casting a 'Summon Controversy' spell and reveling in the ensuing chaos. They’re effectively weaponizing our collective outrage, using it as fuel for their publicity engine. And while a behemoth like Nintendo has an army of lawyers and a war chest that could fund a small country, what about 'el.psy.fake'? What about the scores of talented fan artists who pour their hearts and souls into creating stunning new visions for beloved characters? They don’t have legal departments. They don't have PR teams ready to fend off intellectual property theft. They just have their art.
And that, to me, is the real betrayal here. It’s one thing to challenge the established giants, to carve out a new niche, or even to pay homage with a knowing wink. But it’s an entirely different beast to prey on the creativity of individual artists, to use their unpaid labour for your own monetary gain, and then to bask in the negative glow you've created. It undermines the very spirit of creation and community that makes gaming so special.
Bloody hell, the fact that these guys have got me, a natural skeptic of corporate power, actively *rooting for Nintendo* to drop the legal hammer is truly a testament to how utterly sucky their approach is. It’s not about sticking it to 'the man' anymore; it’s about a blatant disregard for ethical development and basic respect for fellow creators. Here’s hoping the magical justice system, or at least Nintendo’s very human legal team, steps in to ensure these small independent artists aren’t left in the lurch.
*Based on an original article by Lewis Parker, published on Kotaku on March 13, 2026.*
Tags: gaming news, pokemon, copyright infringement, fan art, game development ethics
Original article: kotaku