In the wake of several Stardew Valley fans raising complaints about the similarities between that game and the upcoming Super Zoo Story, the latter game's developer has admitted they have a point. At the same time, he claimed his title is more of an homage and was never intended to be a copy.
Because of the popularity of Stardew Valley, there have been several games over the years that had similar pixel art appearances. However, those games generally had enough differences that people in the gaming community never logged such loud complaints about the possibility of a title being an actual ripoff. With Super Zoo Story, the depth to which the two games appear similar was too much to ignore.
Among the people that admitted there appeared to be something to the talk of Super Zoo Story being a copy was Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone, who is better known as ConcernedApe on social media. Barone admitted that people might be confused and think that the upcoming title was also his work. At the same time, he allowed that it might have been unintentional. After Barone's comments, Super Zoo Story co-creator Ihor posted an apology of sorts, on Twitter.
Ihor first said that he and his wife, who also worked on Super Zoo Story, were heavily inspired by Stardew Valley. He then went on to say that while it was never their intention to copy the game they loved so much, they had to admit, those who believed the game looked identical were not wrong. Ihor then thanked the people who had offered their feedback. He also admitted to "tunnel vision" when he first fought back against the accusations. “I personally confess to being defensive and, as a result, lashed out in an inappropriate manner," he added.
After Ihor admitted that the two games were more similar than he intended, he added changes are going to be made. He said that the goal in making Super Zoo Story was to offer a fun experience that was also unique. To that end, the creators are going to work to redesign any assets that are too similar to Stardew Valley.
In order to be open and transparent about the situation moving forward, Ihor said he will be posting those updated assets. He added that it's still his intention to "open the doors' of Super Zoo Story in the near future. Just when the game is going to get these changes and be released with a new look is not yet known. That information too is likely coming at a later date.
Stardew Valley is available now on Android, iOS, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One.