Creator of PUBG Calls for ‘Better Protection” from Copycat Titles in the Industry
Brendan Greene, creator behind PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, or PUBG for short, is speaking out against copycats in the industry. Though PUBG was not the first battle royale title to come about, it has definitely made the genre a million times–24 to be exact–more popular. In a recent interview with BBC Radio 1 Greene calls out the copycats in the industry and asks “better protection” against them.
You might recall that this isn’t the first time Brendan Greene has gone after copycats within the battle royale genre. Bluehole has called Fortnite out for similarities “too close for comfort,” and may be considering further action following Epic Games’ announcement of the battle royale mode in September. There are other games under the microscope as well, like PlayerUkn1wn: Friendly Fire, which is, without a doubt, a blatant rip off of PUBG. As you might imagine, even though Bluehole and Greene have had a ton of success with their game, PlayerUnknown himself opens up about what it’s like to deal with the copycats of the genre. “I want other developers to put their own spin on the genre… not just lift things from our game. For that to happen you need new and interesting spins on the game mode. If it’s just copycats down the line, then the genre doesn’t grow and people get bored.”
Greene brought up the mobile game in China based on PUBG, stating that there is “no intellectual property protection” in the gaming industry. He says that the protection offered to developers in the movies and music industries are not available to video game developers yet and as such, he believes this is something that needs to change. “Some amazing games pass under the radar. Then 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. You’re protecting the work of artists basically. Games are art for a large part, and so I think it’s important they’re protected.”
What do you think about the copycats? Do you think there should be something in place to stop fakes from tainting the original games? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and keep it locked for updates.