We all know that the most popular "certain game" now has many similarities with the world's most popular game series "Pokémon". In fact, the developers of that game have never been shy about comparing their games to Pokémon. After its release, the creatures in the game were too similar to Pokémon designs, and accusations of plagiarism, misappropriation, and AI generation were made. Many people have been wondering why Nintendo or The Pokémon Company did nothing.
The Legal Department arrived a little late this time, but it still arrived as scheduled. Just today (January 25), the official website of The Pokémon Company announced that it is investigating a "game released by another company in January 2024."
The announcement read: "We have received many inquiries from customers about games released by other companies in January 2024, saying that the game is similar to Pokémon and asking us to confirm whether the game is authorized by our company. Our company has not authorized the use of any Pokémon in this game."
"In addition, we will investigate any infringement of Pokémon-related intellectual property rights and take appropriate action."
"Our company will continue to bring out the uniqueness of each Pokémon, carefully protect and nurture their world, and work to connect the world through Pokémon."
There are many players who have been saying that Nintendo will sue as the copyright owner, but this is not actually the case. The Pokémon IP and all assets belong to The Pokémon Company, which is not entirely owned by Nintendo. Nintendo only owns 32% of the company. However, the Pokémon series has always had a close relationship with Nintendo, and Nintendo has a strict style of protecting copyright assets. The two companies must have in-depth cooperation on many matters, including legal copyright litigation.
The announcement does not imply any immediate action regarding the game in question, but it does mention that a formal investigation will be conducted. It seems that a lot of Pokémon fans have raised questions about this game to the official. As for whether a lawsuit will eventually go to court, and whether this game indeed directly misappropriates resources, we can only wait and see.