Papers, Please Creator Lucas Pope Cites AI and Expectations as Barriers to Sharing New Work

In a recent discussion on the Mike & Rami Are Still Here podcast, Lucas Pope, the creator of indie darlings Papers, Please and Return of the Obra Dinn, offered a rare glimpse into his current creative mindset. Known for his solo development approach, Pope clarified that he has no ambition to build a large studio team, preferring instead to focus on the intimate process of creation—writing code, drawing, and composing—purely for the sake of making things.

Hesitation Due to AI and Copying

While Pope enjoys the production process and typically likes to share his progress, he admitted that the current technological landscape has made him more guarded. He expressed concern that sharing unfinished ideas could lead to them being "slurped up by AI" or copied by others before he can finalize them. Consequently, he has pulled back from discussing his works-in-progress publicly, though he hopes to eventually overcome this hesitation.

"I don't get to the point where it's done that much," Pope explained regarding his process. "I want to actually produce something at the end. But I also usually like to talk about the stuff I'm working on... [now] I didn't feel as comfortable talking about the stuff I was working on again."

The Pressure of Precedent

Beyond the fear of idea theft, Pope highlighted the psychological weight of his past achievements. Following the critical acclaim of his previous titles, he feels a significant hesitation to release a new game, worrying that it might not live up to player expectations. He described a feeling of wanting to "go out on a high note" rather than risking a "total miss" that could tarnish his track record.

Podcast co-host Rami Ismail, co-founder of Vlambeer, empathized with this sentiment, recalling similar anxieties after the success of Ridiculous Fishing. Ismail noted that the solution often lies in ignoring the pressure and returning to the joy of creation. Pope concurred, summarizing his current status simply: "I'm just finding the fun over here. The last six years just finding the fun."