Lucas Pope, the acclaimed creator behind titles like “Papers, Please” and “Return of the Obra Dinn,” is currently engrossed in multiple game development projects. However, he is notably reticent about sharing details of his ongoing work. This secrecy stems primarily from a growing concern that artificial intelligence or other individuals might preemptively steal his creative concepts before he has the opportunity to fully realize them.
In a recent discussion on the “Mike & Rami Are Still Here” podcast, Pope, speaking with Mike Rose and Rami Ismail, confirmed that he remains actively involved in game development and has not departed from the industry. Instead, his current preference is to safeguard his ideas internally until they are sufficiently mature for public unveiling.
“I mean, it’s not an absolute rule. It’s just, I’ve had the kind of feeling about it, and I just haven’t felt as comfortable talking about the things that I’ve been working on again,” Pope explained. “So I hope that that will get better and I can feel comfortable talking about the things that I’m working on.”
Furthermore, Pope exhibits a degree of apprehension regarding the release of new games. The considerable success of both “Papers, Please” and “Return of the Obra Dinn” has garnered him significant recognition within the indie game community. “I feel lucky with those two games,” he stated. “You know, I can do the same things. I can sort of focus on the narrative and and the gameplay and the mechanics and things like that, but who knows, it could be a total flop. And I don’t want to push my luck too much in that direction.”
The confluence of AI-related anxieties and internal creative pressures presents a formidable challenge. Nevertheless, there is hope that Pope will eventually feel confident enough in a new project to offer a glimpse into his evolving ideas.