Pokémon Copycat Game Makers Apologize After Major Damages

The Pokémon Company has successfully settled a long-running lawsuit against Guangzhou Maichi Network Technology Co., Ltd., creators of the copycat mobile game Pocket Monster: Remake. The court ruled in favor of The Pokémon Company, awarding around $15 million in damages for copyright infringement and unfair competition that exploited characters and designs from the iconic Pokémon franchise. Following the settlement, Guangzhou Maichi issued a public apology and has ceased operations of the game, acknowledging their wrongdoing and committing to better intellectual property practices in the future.

The lawsuit concluded with a settlement where the developers were ordered to pay approximately $15 million in damages to The Pokémon Company, and they publicly apologized while shutting down the game.

Pocket Monster: Remake, launched in 2015, gained popularity within its first year, reportedly earning around $42 million. The game featured unaltered artwork and characters from the Pokémon franchise, which led to the lawsuit filed by The Pokémon Company in 2021. Besides this case, The Pokémon Company is currently involved in another lawsuit against the makers of the game Palworld for patent infringement. This highlights the ongoing challenges around intellectual property rights in the gaming industry.