Brendan "PlayerUnknown" Greene, the creator of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) has enjoyed record success with the game breaking multiple records. But he's disappointed with the lack of creativity of other developers out there, hoping for stronger intellectual property protection in video games.
Greene is reportedly unhappy with the copycats cloning his work, though he doesn't call any out by name. He states that he simply doesn't want others to just lift the design, change the name and artwork, and call it a day. "I want other developers to put their own spin on the genre… not just lift things from our game,” he told BBC Radio 1 Gaming Show, according to Newsbeat.
“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.”
He goes on to talk about how big Triple-A publishers sometimes take an idea from a small indie title, implement it into their highly funded title, and call it their own. It should be remembered that before the 2 million concurrent players mark, PUBG Corporation wasn't a huge name in the industry. In fact, it wasn't a name at all. Greene likely sees this as a small developer gone big, as opposed to a bigwig who doesn't remember what it's like being the little guy.
He continues by saying he doesn't aim to shut down anyone who copies elements of the game. In fact, he says he wants the genre he helped create to grow. He just thinks that can only happen through innovation, not completely lifting an idea.
“For [the genre to grow] 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.”
Games like Fortnite have added Battle Royale-type modes to their games, which includes its own unique elements not present in Blue Hole's PUBG. Despite their issues with Epic using their name in their marketing without their permission, they have no issue with how Epic spun the battle royale genre.
