"I want other developers to put their own spin on the genre... not just lift things from our game. I want this genre of games to grow. "
- Creator of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Brendan Greene on copycat titles.
During an interview with the BBC, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds creator Brendan Greene discusses his frustration over copycat games, expressing that "If it's just copycats down the line, then the genre doesn't grow and people get bored."
Greene wants developers to take risks and contribute new ideas should they choose to emulate Battlegrounds, lamenting the borrowed ideas as a lost opportunity to subvert genre conventions.
After the success of Battlegrounds a slew of similar game's emerged, contributing to the oversaturation of copycat titles. "I want other developers to put their own spin on the genre," Greene says. "Not just lift things from our game."
There's also little protection over a games intellectual property, as Greene explains: "In movies and music there is IP protection and you can really look after your work. In gaming that doesn't exist yet, and it's something that should be looked into."
According to Greene, the industry could do more to protect developers who have good ideas but lack the right resources. "Someone else takes the idea, has a marketing budget, and suddenly has a popular game because they ripped off someone else's idea. I think it's something the industry needs to look into."
Check out the full interview available at the BBC.