Set to launch on March 5, the latest sandbox slow-life game in the Pokémon series, Pokemon Pokopia, has many players eagerly anticipating its relaxing and therapeutic new experience.
However, on social media, the Official White House X account posted a promotional image on March 5 that mimicked the title style of "Pokemon Pokopia." The image featured the Trump administration's political slogan, "Make America Great Again." This post immediately drew widespread criticism, prompting the rights holders of the Pokémon series to swiftly issue a clarification, stating they had never authorized such use.
In fact, prior to this incident, a website allowing users to create "Pokopia-style titles" had already gained popularity within overseas communities. This site replicates the font of the game's English title, "Pokemon Pokopia," enabling users to generate images resembling the game's logo with any text they input. Many netizens had been having fun turning various humorous phrases into "Pokopia-style" images, circulating them widely as a meme.
The fact that the official White House X account posted an image mimicking the game's logo, featuring Trump's political slogan "Make America Great Again" in a similar font and using actual game footage as the background, quickly raised questions from the public.
While it's currently unconfirmed whether the White House's image was created using that specific website, the font style is almost identical. This has led many to suspect the official account may have used the tool. Given the meme's widespread popularity online, some also speculate that the White House's PR team might have simply adopted it.
Following the incident, the social media post and its comment section were flooded with criticism. Many users even retaliated by creating their own satirical "Pokopia-style" images to mock the government and its policies.
In response, Pokémon Company International, the overseas operating company for the Pokémon brand, told The New York Times that they had noticed images related to their brand appearing on social media platforms. However, the company confirmed it had no involvement in the creation or distribution of this content, nor had it authorized anyone to use its intellectual property. The official statement also emphasized that Pokémon's philosophy is to connect people worldwide through its works, and it remains unrelated to any political stance or issues.
In fact, this isn't the first time the Trump administration has sparked controversy over unauthorized use of intellectual property. Previously, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's X account also used Pokémon animation footage and music without authorization, likening the arrest of undocumented immigrants to "catching Pokémon."
However, many related images or videos posted by government accounts have yet to be removed. Users unaware of the context might mistakenly believe these works are officially authorized by the rights holders. Consequently, numerous calls have been made for the government to promptly correct or take down the relevant content, though no removals have been observed thus far.