A Decade Later, Notorious Pokémon Copycat Finally Faces Legal Consequences

Pocket Monster: Remake was released back in 2015. The mobile game played almost identically to Pokémon, even using the art, names, and move sets form the existing franchise. A decade later, The Pokémon Company has finally reached a settlement with the Chinese devs behind the rip-off and gotten them to publicly apologize.

“Our copyright infringement and acts of unfair competition have caused significant economic losses to the rights holders and severely damaged the image of the original Pokémon Video Games,” Guangzhou Maichi Network Technology Co. wrote in a new statement shared by The Pokémon Company (via Automaton). We hereby sincerely apologize to TPC and other rights holders, as well as the vast number of players, consumers, and the general public.”

There have been all sorts of free Pokémon fan games and unauthorized clones floating around since smartphones became popular, but few were as egregious as Pocket Monster: Remake. It was less of a copycat and more of a direct port of the original Game Boy games, complete with art for Professor Oak, Ash Ketchum, and Pikachu.

While Pocket Monster: Remake was earning millions after it released, The Pokémon Company didn’t actually sue until 2021. The Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court in Guangzhou Province then ruled in TPC’s favor in September 2024, with the makers of the game ordered to pay around $15 million in damages.

That was much less than the $72 million in damages originally being sought be the Pokémon license holder. Eventually the two sides settled for an undisclosed sum and the public apology. “The Game has now been completely removed from the market and operations have ceased,” wrote Guangzhou Maichi Network Technology Co. “At the same time, We have paid a substantial economic price and incurred significant reputational damage. We have deeply reflected on it and learned our lessons.”

.