PlayerUnknown Laments Lack of IP Protection in Games

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds was an overnight hit, and like the overnight hits that came before it (lookin’ at you, Flappy Birds), it’s inevitable that there will be developers high on ambition but low on scruples who try to capitalize on its success. Some of these, like Fortnite’s Battle Royal mode, takes the core idea but takes it in a new and interesting direction. Others, like any number of games that are coming out in China, are just complete and total knockoffs.

And it’s seeing all these cheaper games leech off his success that’s really causing Brendan Greene, the true identity of PlayerUnknown, to lament the fact that the games industry is historically terrible at protecting IP… unless you’re Nintendo, at least.

Speaking to BBC Radio 1’s gaming show:

"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. There's no intellectual property protection in games. 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.”

The problem with IP protection in games, of course, is that you have to figure out what, exactly, you’re protecting: are you protecting the art style? The story? Or, more broadly, a type of gameplay? The latter case can be extremely complicated, and would likely cause stagnation in the industry as certain companies grab certain genres, but you can’t argue his point isn’t compelling:

"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."

It doesn’t seem likely he’ll get what he’s looking for, and that might be a good thing for the average user, but you can see why he would feel that way. It’s harder to think of another game that could stand to lose more by users getting tired or overwhelmed by competitors… particularly in China, where the game is massively popular.

If you want to hear the interview in full it’ll be released on the BBC iPlayer sometime next month.