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Inspiration in Game Development
Did you know that the idea behind Minecraft - one of the most successful games ever sold in tens of millions of copies - didn't actually originate with its creator?
The line between being “inspired by” and blatantly ripping off another game is razor-thin. Often, when a title gains popularity, we’re flooded with a wave of clones - some well-made, others forgettable. If these clones borrow strong mechanics and add something original, that’s perfectly fine. If someone wants to stand out, they need to take a good idea and build something even better on top of it.
Unfortunately, we repeatedly see games that play almost identically to older titles, offering nothing new or exciting. These are clones riding on the wave of success, but without real innovation.
The truth is: there’s a limit to how much you can squeeze out of any one idea. And there’s only so much time to do it before you're competing with hundreds of others doing the same.
But what if I told you there are also clones inspired by games that were total flops? That’s exactly how Minecraft came to be.
Swedish game developer Markus Alexej Persson - better known as Notch - saw hidden potential in a concept from a little-known game that came before his blockbuster.
That game was Infiniminer.
Looking at it today, you might mistakenly think Infiniminer copied Minecraft. In fact, it’s the other way around. Notch was inspired by a game that few had ever heard of. He took something undervalued and transformed it into a phenomenon. When searching for inspiration, you don’t always have to look at the biggest hits.
Article based on a video by one of our bloggers:
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_-ZJK7S91U