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There are plenty of mind-boggling Pokemon and Palworld clones out there, both on mobile platforms and consoles alike – but the most viral one to date, Pickmos, might just be the most infamous yet… and it's back in the limelight after a quiet return to Steam.
In case you're out of the loop, Pickmos – originally titled "Pickmon" – made rounds online as it features, ahem, quite a few designs that might just be a tad bit too inspired by fan creations and, of course, Pokemon and Palworld themselves.
Folks joked that developer PocketGame (no, not Pocketpair) was "lawsuitmaxxing" with "straight up rip-offs" of iconic 'mons like Charizard. The game's name was soon changed, which the devs said was to "better align with our brand identity and lore."
After Pickmon became Pickmos, PocketGame promised revisions to ensure "a controversy-free experience" were underway, only for the creature collector to then disappear from Steam last month.
Publisher Networkgo explained the removal, saying it had "officially intervened in the development of Pickmos" and would be "supervising the PocketGame team from a player's perspective to ensure the game keeps getting better." It's… a lot.
Well, now, Pickmos is back on Steam. It's made an undeniably quiet return, however, with little update from PocketGame or Networkgo to describe what's happening behind the scenes or what prompted the decision to put Pickmos on Valve's storefront once more.
Interestingly, though, I see that a lot of the more controversial monster designs – like the Charizard-esque one and another that a Fakemon (fan-created Pokemon) artist alleged that the game "stole" – seem to have been wiped away.
We are revising the game to ensure a controversy-free experience. It will be re-released once our publisher gives the final approval.April 17, 2026
There's no telling why this is the case until the devs or publisher speak up, but it's probably safe to say it has to do with the allegations of stolen art and the like. Heck, the new Steam page hardly features any screenshots or any trailer at all.
I'd say they're trying to be careful this time around, although it's hard to escape the general Pokemon and Palworld vibes the open-world game carries with it. I mean, just look at those monster-run factory lines.
Here's hoping that we get some sort of word from PocketGame and Networkgo on what is actually going on. For now, I'd suggest keeping an eye on the Steam listing for any updates or news posts. When they'll come, however, I'm not sure.
