Shameless Palworld imitator Pickmos removed from Steam after publisher ‘officially intervenes’ in development: ‘We will be supervising the Pickmos team’
Pickmos, a game heavily inspired by the popular title Palworld, has been removed from Steam following publisher intervention. The removal came just days after developer PocketGame renamed the game from “Pickmon” to “Pickmos” in an attempt to “better align with our brand identity”—an explanation that industry observers interpreted as an effort to distance itself from obvious Palworld similarities.
Publisher NetworkGo announced the removal on X and stated it would now actively supervise PocketGame’s future development. In an ironic twist, the publisher’s statement appeared to shift responsibility for the situation onto the developer, suggesting PocketGame bore primary fault for the circumstances leading to the Steam removal.
The situation highlights growing tensions in the gaming industry around intellectual property and game cloning. Palworld’s massive commercial success has naturally attracted numerous imitation attempts, but Pickmos’s transparent copying of Palworld’s core mechanics and creature design aesthetic drew widespread criticism from players and industry observers alike. The publisher’s public announcement that it would supervise the development team suggests NetworkGo is attempting damage control following the negative reception and removal from the platform. Whether this intervention will result in meaningful changes to the game’s design or development practices remains to be seen.