A Shady Gacha Game Stole Content from Nintendo’s Pokémon

We all love games, and that passion drives us to support certain companies and franchises and even spend money on microtransactions to support the creators. Still, some people manage to find loopholes in the system and steal an IP. As absurd as it may sound, it is not an uncommon thing, and many small developers get away from it since their games don’t gain much attraction.

However, most of those stolen IPs would still be made to avoid too much suspicion. That is not what happened today; in fact, our team at TopTierList found a game on Google Store that clearly steals the concept of Pokémon. You read that right; the game has been up there for quite some time, and only now have we seen it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqCVw2AhAJ4

The stolen IP goes by the name of Monster Gym Championship and even has a gacha system implemented. Honestly, this reminds us of those fake Ikea games, but bear with us, because it’s going to get weird from here.

About the Game

If you are unaware of what happens in the game, it is based on the Pokémon life and does everything that Nintendo does in their Pokémon games. This RPG game allows you to choose the characters and play with them. You can travel and catch Pokémons in your ventures, battle other gym leaders, and participate in the championship.

pokemon gacha game
Monster Gym Champion, also known as Pokeverse World.

Major Points

  • A game has been found that takes all the concepts of Pokémon but still manages to get away after stealing the IP.
  • The game has a gacha system, and fans have been getting the game’s ad pop up every now and then.
  • Google Store shows the game has over 500k+ downloads, demonstrating its success.

Monster Gym Championship

Monster Gym Championship is also known as Pokeverse World, but perhaps due to copyright issues, the developer studio “Chan Studios” decided to go with the former. As we can see from the massive downloads, the game has been gaining popularity in the mobile gacha community. 

The gacha aspect comes in when you have to buy or trade Pokémon by collecting the items. Having a stronger Pokémon means you can beat the content easily. But for those unfamiliar with the things in-game, all you need to know about are the following:

  • Rainbow Diamonds – The rare currency you get by recharging. It can be purchased in-game and is the gacha currency. It also gives you a boost in rewards.
  • Diamonds – The resources you spend to evolve your Pokémon and increase stamina. It is bought through microtransactions or by beating difficult parts of the game in career mode.
  • Gold Coin – An essential currency as it helps you level up your Pokémon.
pokemon rip off gacha
Monster Gym Champion, also known as Pokeverse World.

How It Steals from Nintendo

We have already discussed this; Nintendo previously filed a trademark for an old logo from their Zelda games. They did so to protect the content of their IPs, but there are still many things you can’t protect, and such developers find those loopholes and make a game around them.

Monster Gym Championship is a weird case since it has taken many things from the Pokémon games and does not hide them whatsoever. So, the game may get claimed pretty soon. In addition, it can spell danger for the players using their money in the game to purchase all the resources. 

If the game were to shut down someday, there would be no way for players to get back what they spent, and we are also talking about countless hours of grind. The game is made by an unknown studio that goes by Chan Studios.

The support email is not even a professional domain or a company email; it is someone’s personal email, showing that it is not even licensed and is most certainly a stolen IP. The game is in early access and will stay that way for a long time until they have made a fortune and can safely go away.

In Conclusion

Monster Gym Championship is a stolen IP in plain sight. While there is not much we can do to prevent these IPs from popping up, and it should be noted that spending money on such games is not a good investment. But we are not here to give you financial advice.

If you love Pokémon games, let us know your favorite ones. And do you think Nintendo will do something about their big titles getting stolen? Share your opinions below, and we will discuss them with you!

Here is a Similar Read: Microsoft Files Trademark for the Long-Awaited “Project: Mara.”