Papers Please creator won’t reveal new games in case AI ‘slurps them up’

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Lucas Pope, the game designer behind Papers, Please and Return of the Obra Dinn, is worried about sharing his early game concepts because he fears they could be quickly copied by artificial intelligence.

With the rise of artificial intelligence, leaders are increasingly using AI to handle their work, and schools are starting to use AI chatbots instead of teachers. It’s becoming harder to tell what’s genuine, especially as AI learns by consuming content created by people and then produces its own, often low-quality, output.

The same is happening in the gaming world, with companies like Nvidia receiving strong criticism for their plans to use AI. This affects everyone, from large companies to individual game developers, and has widespread consequences.

Lucas Pope, the creator of popular indie games like Papers, Please, has expressed worry about how artificial intelligence could affect independent game developers. He’s hesitant to share details about his current project, fearing that an AI could quickly copy his concepts.

Papers, Please creator hesitant to reveal new ideas in the age of AI

On the Mike & Rami Are Still Here podcast, Pope shared that he creates things because he finds personal enjoyment in the process, rather than to make money.

He usually starts thinking about how to officially release a game only towards the end of the development process. He often begins by working on a project as a hobby, and if it shows promise, he’ll then consider turning it into a game he can sell.

That’s why so many good ideas never get finished. He explained that he often struggles to complete projects, calling it a frustrating pattern.

I’m driven to complete projects and make sure the process runs smoothly and efficiently. I’m very focused on getting things done, but I also enjoy discussing my work as it progresses.

A great example of this is Papers, Please, Lucas Pope’s first game made entirely on his own. He shared progress and got feedback from playtesters through online forums, which ultimately made the game bigger and took more time to finish.

He’s now reluctant to share his ideas. He explained, “Things just feel different now.” He worries that if he does, his work will be quickly taken and used by artificial intelligence or copied by others.

Lucas Pope doesn’t strictly follow this as a rule, but it definitely influences his decisions, which explains the lack of news about his next project. He created a game for the Playdate in 2024 and another for web browsers, but nothing he’s done since has been as ambitious as his 2018 hit, Return of the Obra Dinn.

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2026-04-07 04:48