'This is shocking — the copycat comes out before the original': AI cloning rattles the game industry

As AI technology advances, so-called "copycat" games — titles that mimic the ideas and mechanics of existing games — are proliferating across the gaming industry.

The phenomenon, long a concern in global markets, is now hitting South Korea as well. Developers are finding that demo videos and preview builds released before a game's official launch are being used as blueprints for AI-generated imitations, raising fears that the country's game development ecosystem could be stifled.

According to industry sources, platforms such as Roblox — where users can create and share their own games — have seen a surge of titles copying established games.

A new game called "Escape the Walls" is a striking example. On Oct. 14, developer Pandorio Games posted a demo video of the title on X, formerly Twitter. The game, in which players smash through walls to break out of a prison, racked up 2.2 million views within a day of the video going live. The game has yet to officially launch.

The problem: within a single day of the video's release, games with nearly identical mechanics had already appeared. As of Friday, at least seven copycat versions had been identified on Roblox. All were found to have been created on or after Oct. 15 — the day after the original demo video went public.

Industry insiders point to AI-powered development tools as the driving force behind the trend. Because AI now allows people with little technical expertise to build games, development timelines have shrunk dramatically. In a survey Roblox conducted among thousands of creators who use AI in their work, 95 percent of respondents said AI had reduced the time it takes to release a new game or update.

South Korean studios are feeling the pressure too. Several have quietly pulled demo videos and preview builds. Local development team YNOT halted public distribution of its demo for "Spookitchen" on Tuesday after receiving a tip that someone was using AI to copy the game. Another studio, Garage Arts, similarly made an emergency decision to cancel the planned demo release of "Oh! Robot: Legendary Mechanic" on Monday, citing the same concern.

The industry warns that AI-driven copying is eating into the revenues of original developers. Demo releases are particularly vital for small studios, serving as a primary tool to build a player base and generate buzz before an official launch. When fear of cloning discourages studios from releasing demos, they lose one of their few channels to promote new titles.

"Anyone can now make a game easily, even without technical skills or creative vision," one industry official said. "The spread of AI game cloning is destroying the entire industry."

Experts say the pace of AI development demands updated institutional safeguards to protect developers' rights.

Lee Cheol-woo, chairman of the Korea Game Users Association and a lawyer specializing in gaming, said the damage to small developers — who often lack the resources to pursue legal action — has become severe as AI makes copying increasingly effortless. "For developers to continue creating without having their work infringed upon, we need systemic reforms, including stricter refusal of age ratings for games that infringe on copyrights," he said.