Nintendo's Newest Legal Target Makes Palworld's Situation Even Worse

The ongoing legal battles between Nintendo and Palworld are well-known at this point, with Nintendo’s claims of copyright infringement constantly dragging the smaller indie game into argument after argument. However, another game similar to Palworld has just been announced, showing gameplay arguably more blatantly inspired by Nintendo’s trademarked Pokémon series. While some might think this could distract Nintendo from pursuing Palworld, this new game might allow them to double their efforts instead.

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New titles that try to emulate Pokémon are nothing new, but few manage to acheive the same level of audience as Nintendo’s franchise does. As the 10th Generation of Pokémon arrives through Pokémon Winds and Waves, clones like Palworld are only going to struggle more, despite updates improving that game in different ways. As Nintendo’s pressure continues to force Palworld to make changes, new titles that challenge Pokémon might have an even harder time getting established.

Pickmon’s Announcement Trailer Shows Off Another Pokémon Clone Like Palworld

Pickmon open world keyart — Courtesy of PocketGame

Pickmon, a new game by developer PocketGame, released a trailer in March 2026 that showed off an open-world full of creatures for players to team up with. This title has many visual resemblances to Palworld, with mechanics inspired by Pokemon and a variety of other games, such as Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The titular Pickmon seem to be capable of battling, farming, and doing other tasks that call back to a variety of other games players might recognize.

The initial footage for Pickmon shows a number of similarities to Palworld, including the nature of its visuals. Realistic landscapes are paired with large 3D Pickmon creatures, with different ones inhabiting specific parts of the open world. The goal of the game seems to be to explore lost civilizations, defeat a shadowy organization, and use Pickmon to battle and farm for resources through specialized survival mechanics. If the ideas of a food supply and survival system seem familiar, it’s because they are almost a 1:1 to how Palwolrd operates.

Palworld’s Ongoing Lawsuit With Nintendo Won’t Diminish As Pickmon Gets Sued Too

Unfortunately, the introduction of a new target in Pickmon is unlikely to diminish the legal battles Palworld still has to endure. Despite the removal of features and mechanics tied to the Pokemon series, many Palworld updates are reflective of new accusations and lawsuits Nintendo has charged against their developer Pocketpair. With the official 1.0 launch of Palworld planned for 2026, the existence of Pickmon just means they have more trouble on their hands instead of less.

Games like Pickmon don’t spread Nintendo thin, as the celebrated video game company has a metaphorical army of lawyers behind it ready to act at a moment’s notice. Pickmon will hardly slow down Nintendo against Palworld, but rather embolden Nintendo to make further claims against both titles. In fact, the arguments Nintendo makes surrounding its intellectual property might be strengthened by Pickmon‘s existence, with claims of harmful brand theft or illegal representation becoming stronger with a more blatant game’s presentation.

Development Behind Pickmon Might Create Three Roads Of Copyright Claims That Create Further Arguments

Pickmon main character doing Akira motorcycle slide — Courtesy of PocketGame

Pickmon, much like Palworld, has a chance to differentiate itself and garner a wide audience through engaging gameplay and a world people want to explore. However, its existence creates several problems through how it seemingly adopts Palworld‘s mechanics entirely, which in turn invokes Palworld‘s ire along with Nintendo’s. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Pickmon‘s developer PocketGame suddenly be in a two-way fight between Nintendo and Palworld‘s legal teams, with each fighting each other endlessly.