We're Sure Nintendo Will Have No Issues At All With This New PC Creature Battler

So, they're basically asking for the players to add Pokémon models to the game? Smart move! I can see this game having a short life, if they're not careful.

Wait. How is this suppose to be competitive when you can mod everything?

Might as well use a TAS bot.

As long as they aren't actually using copyrighted Pokémon names (outside of other people making mods for it), there really isn't any reason for this one to be taken down at all.

It doesn't even have "mon" in the name.

"BOGGY"
Somebody finally turned the polar bear from Banjo-Kazooie into a not-Pokémon?

With that said, I see some resemblance in a few designs, but not enough to say the entire roster is a ripoff. If anything, I'd say it's ripping off the special effects of Pokémon Stadium, Colosseum, XD and Battle Revolution.

About adding your own mods. Sounds good in theory but I hope in practice it doesn't lead to a broken mess.
I'm learning to use Blender, but not for this.

Honestly, other than the arena raising a couple eyebrows and the potential issues that can come from submitted designs and names, I don't really see any issues. Pickmos was filled with blatant ripoffs from multiple games.

@Tyranexx

Yeah, this article feels weirdly cynical in a way that I can't decide if it's more insulting towards the game itself or Nintendo's legal team.

Yes, no crap, the game is Pokemon-inspired - nobody would argue that - but trying to call the designs "sparky rapidash" or "round Greninja"... who wrote this article... Jim Norman?

Jim, with all due respect... you been outside lately? Maybe to a zoo? Have you seen ANIMALS before, is what I'm asking. Because these designs look a lot like animals, and surprisingly distinct from the Pokemon also based on those animals, unlike Pickmos or Palworld.

I don't think the designs pictured for this article look anything like ANY Pokemon. Even the electric horse looks very distinct from both Zebstrika AND "Sparky Rapidash".

See this is what I was afraid of with Palworld.

People were all gungho acting like we needed to support the "poor indie team being bullied" and acting like it was such noble cause again copyright abuse.

But I pretty much immediately figured if Palworld survived you'd have a bunch of opportunistic vultures who would take it to mean it's open season and try to do the same thing. But with even less effort and even more direct copies.

Seriously none of this crap is original or about creative freedom. It's just about trying to cash in on Pokemon's popularity.

@Metazoxan

I don't believe you looked at any of the designs for even a second if you think they're anywhere as derivative as the likes of Palworld.

IP law is garbage and nobody should be defending it.

That out of the way:

I want Pokemon Champions on Steam.

@BLD in this case it's a bit more the UI and stage design.

A few of the designs do still look derivative. But yeah less so than Palworld.

But I have a feeling it's not a coincidence this is coming now.

So we are STILL calling every monster battler a pokemon ripoff?
Are we gonna call every platformer a mario ripoff too?
Every shooter a DOOM ripoff?
Every rougelike a Rouge... uhh...

@axelhander this is ann extremely Naive opinion.

First of all IP law is more than just a tool of the corporation. While money and authority can force things through sometimes it also protects indie developers who put all they had into something.

If you want proof of this working look at Pokemon TCG pocket. Someone accidentally used Fanart for the Luigi and ho-oh cards and they had to take them down and redo them.

Without laws for this stuff you think that would have happened?

Without IP laws Big companies could just steal all of the indie ideas without consequence and they have the authority to make sure their stolen work is advertised more and sells more.

So it's not some oppressive tool of the corporations. It's a necessary wall to help protect people's work. Otherwise people would just steal and copy popular stuff until the real thing gets diluted in an ocean of copies.

Yes the law gets abused. But that doesn't mean we don't need it at all.

Hahahahaha, God almighty. 99% of this game's budget must be allocated to legal fees.

@BLD

Yeah, this article feels weirdly cynical in a way that I can't decide if it's more insulting towards the game itself or Nintendo's legal team.

I agree. At first I thought the article was poking fun at the game. Reading it again, maybe it's taking a jab at Nintendo's legal team as well?

Olympus Rangers certainly is Pokemon inspired, but it's far from the first game. Some monster catchers/battlers - of which Pokemon wasn't even the first IIRC - are very good at using their own unique character and creature designs, mechanics, and world. Others fall either into parody (which is a gray area IMO) or blatant theft with maybe a couple subtle changes. Outside of potential issues surrounding user submissions (and going by the trailer), this game appears distinct enough that it will likely be fine.

Are we really claiming every creature collector game as a Pokemon infringement from now on?

It looks like something someone designed while high on a fever dream. Yeah, I'll stick to real Pokémon.

@Tyranexx Look, I know they're not great, but at least PETA's stuff is obviously a parody.