The game developer Stephen “Mortdog” Mortimer has 19 years of experience at Nintendo and Riot Games. He is currently the head of Teamfight Tactics. He now explains how he sees Palworld as a game developer and the potential impacts on gaming. He also takes a jab at the Twitch streamer Asmongold.
Who is that?
- Stephen Mortimer, known as “Riot Mortdog,” is one of the smartest minds at Riot Games (known for League of Legends and Valorant). On his own YouTube channel “Mortdog – TFT,” he frequently addresses players.
- Mortdog spent 11 years at Nintendo, working on games like Mario vs. Donkey Kong and Mini Mario & Friends.
- He has been at Riot Games since 2016 and is the leading mind behind Teamfight Tactics here.
Games build on existing ones – that is fundamentally good and important
What he says about Palworld: In a video from January 28, Mortdog elaborates on how he sees Palworld and game design.
Games consist of a variety of layers that individual employees or teams work on:
- The menu
- The game progress
- The system design
- The AI that controls opponents
- The behavior
- Characters
- Level design
- Level graphics
- The engine
Now, it has always been the case that successful games have taken existing parts from their own games or from others. So, further Zelda installments from Nintendo have continuously borrowed functional elements from older Zelda titles and only partially and sporadically changed certain elements.
Other gaming companies had already been copying trend games like Street Fighter 2 in the 90s. And the “good clones” became strong brands in their own right, like Mortal Kombat.
This is completely normal and healthy. Game development is hard. The goal is to create good games. Anything that serves that purpose and represents a shortcut is fundamentally good.
The success of Palworld could establish a dangerous trend
This is how he sees Palworld: Regarding Palworld, Mortdog says it’s a really good game, but it has taken a significant portion, about 70%, from existing games and then just added a bit on top.
The problem is: Palworld is so extremely successful that it could now serve as a template for further copies of this working method.
Studios will always move where the money is. And because a game that uses mostly existing parts is so successful, it could become a norm for games to take functioning concepts from other games and just add a part on top.
Reskins with existing source code as a difference to clones
This scares him: Mortdog makes a clear distinction between copying a game and starting with the product from scratch, or having existing code and modifying it.
Thus, the entry of Palworld seems suspiciously similar to the entry of the last game by Palworld’s developers, Craftopia.
If you do the work “from the ground up yourself,” it is challenging and real work, even if it represents a copy:
“But if you have the source code and just put a new skin over it, it’s damn easy. And what I’m saying is: That looked pretty damn easy now. That’s a bit disgusting. If you simply say: Thanks Nintendo, for this, it’s mine now and I’m adding something on top – that’s a bit weird.”
However, Mortdog admits that what Palworld has added on top is “really, really good.” Palworld is fun and is a good game.
The worst aspect of this development is seen in “reskins”: Studios might take 90% of existing games and only change 10% (the characters), in hopes of achieving success. On Fiverr, you can commission a reskin of a Unity game for $55.
No good games can come out of that if you’re only investing $55.
This widespread appropriation of other systems he calls “a bit disgusting” and strange. If Palworld establishes a trend here, it scares him.
Palworld could establish a trend similar to cosmetic items back then
What he says about Asmongold: Asmongold tweeted on January 24, that all the criticism of Palworld is irrelevant. The artist’s opinion doesn’t matter. What’s important is just a good game.
Mortdog talks about the statement of a certain “bald streamer” and says: You have to be cautious. Asmongold warned about the first microtransactions in gaming many years ago, the horse armor in Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion. This established a very negative trend in gaming: microtransactions.
Here too, the industry followed the money.
Mortdog fears that even though Palworld is a good, fun game, it could also establish a negative trend in gaming that scares him.
What does Asmongold say about it? Asmongold has made a pretty big mistake with a rant against people who are upset about Palworld. He said that such complaints, like copyright or artist opinion, don’t matter; it’s all about a good game.
However, Mortdog’s criticism seems to particularly hit him because the developer still has a full head of hair at 40, while he himself is described as “bald.” That’s just unfair.
Asmongold struggles with Mortdog’s criticism of the game. He doesn’t really know. The criticism is already very good and fair. Ultimately, the customer is always right. If people buy a game, there will certainly be copies of the concepts in the future.
More on the topic: Twitch streamer explains why Palworld is such a hit: Aimed at normal people, not insane freaks
