When developers copy from multinational corporations, there is at least a theoretical possibility of legal accountability. When they copy from freelance artists working for passion, the power imbalance becomes obscene.
Pickmon has not just borrowed from Nintendo, but lifted designs from fan artists including a Mega Meganium evolution. The artist el.psy.fake said on Instagram, "They didn't even try to change something and make it a bit less obvious." Fellow artist pokejayjay confirmed a separate theft on social media, saying the Mega Ceruledge design was stolen fan work, and neither artist had been credited or contacted.
This is the genuinely troubling dimension of Pickmon's launch. Yes, the game revealed on Steam on March 9 is a multiplayer open-world survival game developed by PocketGame and published by NETWORKGO, a Chinese studio whose only prior title is Hainya World. Yes, the game takes inspiration from Nintendo IPs including the Legend of Zelda. But there is a moral distinction between copying established franchises with billion-dollar legal defence teams and copying the original creative work of individuals who cannot afford to mount a legal challenge.
el.psy.fake shared a Mega Meganium concept on Instagram on March 10, 2025, nearly a year before a very similar character design appeared in Pickmon's Steam capsule art this week with some alterations to the creature's wings and ears. Fan artist jayjay_mons posted a similar four-legged Ceruledge concept on Instagram back in February 2025.
The pattern suggests intent. The developer goes by two different names in Pickmon's debut trailer: "PocketGame" and "PokeGame", both obvious references to Pokémon and Pocket Monsters. The team is publicly celebrating its viral success, announcing 25 million impressions in under 48 hours. This is not quiet imitation; it is provocation dressed as publicity.
Defending corporations against creative theft requires scrutinising not just what is stolen but from whom. Palworld became a phenomenon partly because it created something distinct from Pokémon despite surface similarities. Pocketpair's game does not steal character designs wholesale, the studio has sworn off generative AI, and has repeatedly compromised on mechanics like gliding to appease Nintendo. That is professional caution. Pickmon offers no such deference.
The question facing independent creators now is practical and demoralising: what recourse exists when a commercial developer borrows your work? Nintendo can hire armies of lawyers. Fan artists cannot. Taking character design ideas from fans who are not so likely to have the resources to mount a legal challenge feels like a new low from a game developer.
Whether Pickmon eventually faces action from Nintendo or The Pokémon Company remains to be seen. But the theft from independent artists should not require corporate intervention to be recognised as theft. The moral clarity here is straightforward: credit the artists, compensate them if the designs are used, or do not use them at all.