The name already reminded people of something, but the game itself feels much closer to imitating Palworld, so in the end it was mainly the name that pointed toward Pokémon.

Last month, Pickmon, an upcoming creature-collecting survival game, appeared on Steam and immediately drew attention thanks to the almost Olympic-level audacity of its visual copying. The game’s trailers and marketing materials featured designs that looked almost identical to characters, creatures, and items from Pokémon, Final Fantasy, Zelda, Overwatch, and even Palworld, which had already stirred controversy for similar reasons. The name Pickmon did not last very long, though, because the game’s official Twitter account announced last week that the title had changed by a single letter.

Game Renaming Announcement:The Evolution of Pickmos
Dear Players,
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:… pic.twitter.com/3sgnTkvbTd

— Pickmos / Pickmon / ピックモス (@PickMon_EN) April 10, 2026

Since development began, the game’s publisher, NetworkGo, has claimed it is committed to building a unique and deep ecological world. To better align with the brand identity and lore, the title is officially changing from Pickmon to Pickmos. According to NetworkGo, the creatures in the game will still be known as Pickmon, but the new title supposedly better reflects the full ecosystem, the grand cosmos, and the fantasy adventure they are building. NetworkGo did not say whether the decision was also motivated by the possibility that Nintendo’s legal team might come knocking. Nintendo’s patent case against Palworld developer Pocketpair suggests the company is willing to use every weapon available against what it sees as an imitator.

The standards for proving copyright infringement involving fictional characters are so complex that even Nintendo might have a hard time taking legal action over the visual similarities between Pickmos creatures and Pokémon characters. Brand confusion is another matter entirely. In the United States, for example, trademark law allows trademark holders to sue if an allegedly infringing brand name is likely to cause confusion with an existing trademark.

I will discuss this with our Art Director immediately.

— Pickmos / Pickmon / ピックモス (@PickMon_EN) April 13, 2026

It does not look like the name change is earning Pickmos much goodwill. When another Twitter user challenged them over posting images that compared their designs to existing characters and asked whether the publishers thought people were stupid, NetworkGo replied that it would discuss the matter immediately with the art director…

Source: PCGamer