The creature-collection market is about to welcome a new contender. Pickmon is the latest project to step into the spotlight, clearly drawing inspiration from both the iconic Pokémon series and the survival-crafting hit Palworld.
While Nintendo continues its legal crusade against the creators of Palworld over alleged patent infringement, other developers remain undeterred in their quest to capture a slice of this profitable genre. Pickmon represents the latest attempt to blend monster-taming nostalgia with modern survival mechanics.
In Pickmon, players are invited to explore a vast open world and recruit various creatures to their cause. Diverging from the traditional “ball” capture method, the game utilizes a card-based system for collection. The gameplay loop places a heavy emphasis on resource crafting and base development, featuring full support for multiplayer, cooperative play, and competitive PvP. The title is slated for an initial release on PC, followed by planned versions for the PlayStation 5 and the next-generation Nintendo Switch. You can currently track its development on Steam.
However, the project is already generating controversy. Several creature designs in Pickmon bear such a striking resemblance to existing Pokémon that the publisher, Networkgo, may be courting a legal battle with Nintendo. Even early observers have expressed skepticism, with many within the gaming community criticizing the visual assets for their lack of originality and calling out the developers for blatant plagiarism.
Source: iXBT.games