Papers, Please, Return of the Obra Dinn dev Lucas Pope won’t talk about current game in case it “gets slurped up by AI”
Lucas Pope, the acclaimed developer of Papers, Please and Return of the Obra Dinn, has expressed reluctance to publicly discuss his current game project, citing concerns that innovative gameplay concepts could be appropriated by AI systems. During an appearance on the “Mike & Rami Are Still Here” podcast with No More Robots co-founder Mike Rose and Vlambeer co-founder Rami Ismail, Pope revealed that the proliferation of AI technology has made him significantly more cautious about sharing unreleased work details.
Pope acknowledged that he typically enjoys discussing his creative work, but feels the current environment has fundamentally changed his approach. His primary concern is that distinctive game mechanics and central conceits could be “slurped up by AI” and reproduced elsewhere without proper credit or compensation. This hesitation reflects broader industry anxieties about generative AI’s impact on creative intellectual property and the potential for AI systems to extract and replicate unique creative elements.
The developer’s cautious stance represents a notable shift in how creators approach transparency about works-in-progress, balancing traditional openness with emerging threats posed by AI technology. Pope’s reluctance highlights ongoing industry tensions regarding AI development practices and their effects on creators’ willingness to openly share innovative ideas and game mechanics during the development process.