The Pokémon Company is suing multiple Chinese mobile game operators over a game that allegedly looks a bit too much like Pokémon, Pocket Monster Reissue.
As reported by South China Morning Post (thanks, GamesIndustry.biz), The Pokémon Company is taking legal action against six Chinese companies over copyright infringement and unfair competition behaviour, due to some striking similarities between Pokémon and Pocket Monster Reissue, also known as Koudaiyaoguai Fuke.
Apparently the six companies in question have been running the game since 2015, based on a stock exchange filing from Jiangyin Zhongnan Heavy Industries Co, one of the defendants. In turn, The Pokémon Company has put in a request at the Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court looking to have an order placed against the six companies to prevent them from working on Pocket Monster Reissue.
The Pokémon Company is also looking for 500 million in yuan, which is around £62 million, as well as a public apology from the companies listed on Chinese sites and social media platforms like Tencent.com and NetEase.com, and mobile app store fronts.
Looking at images of the game (thanks, Eurogamer), you can probably spot some familiar creature designs, even if the game world itself is technically different.
Jiangyin Zhongnan Heavy Industries Co has reportedly earned upwards of 300 million yuan (£37 million), but how much the other companies have earned hasn’t been reported.
In actual Pokémon news, a paint-spitting, finger-looking, aye-aye-esque critter was recently revealed for Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, Grafaiai. The poison-lemur’s reveal followed on from the less recent reveal of Cyclizar, who was revealed at the Pokémon World Championships, which also showed off some other gameplay features, and the future of the trading card game.
Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet’s unique feature, Terestel forms, was revealed last month, which puts crystal spin on the creatures we all know and love. The games are both set to launch November 18 on Nintendo Switch.