Indie Dev Claims Zenless Zone Zero Copied His Game

HoYoverse's Zenless Zone Zero (ZZZ) is an urban fantasy action role-playing game that officially launched on July 4, 2024. Within 24 hours of its release, indie developer "Suns out, Gloves out" (SGO) publicly accused the title of copying his game, Ouroboros (Ouros). SGO argued that ZZZ's UI layout, combat feedback text, and environmental art style bore a striking resemblance to his solo-developed action game. The controversy centers on whether HoYoverse independently developed similar genre aesthetics or directly imitated the indie game's specific visual language.

Key Facts

What specific similarities were alleged in the ZZZ plagiarism controversy?

The indie developer SGO posted direct comparisons highlighting over a dozen similarities between Ouroboros and Zenless Zone Zero, including HUD layouts, combo feedback text, health bar colors, and environmental corridor designs.

The developer specifically pointed to the placement of the health bar as pink, the font and style of combat words like "SKILL!", and the general aesthetic of the maze-like corridors as suspiciously identical. SGO argued that the sheer volume of matching elements made it unlikely to be a coincidence.

"To be honest, these are all just tropes of the genre. However, when added all up, it's a little suspicious."

— SGO, via Kotaku

The indie developer presented side-by-side comparisons showing twelve alleged similarities between the two games' UI, combat feedback, and level design.

Why does the Ouros developer believe HoYoverse copied his game?

SGO believes HoYoverse copied Ouroboros because the collective weight of the visual and structural similarities exceeded what he considers coincidental genre convergence, despite acknowledging individual elements could be considered standard tropes.

SGO argued that while no single element was entirely novel, the specific combination of art style, UI geometry, and combat feedback created an improbable match. The developer also had prior experience in the gacha gaming industry, which he described as a "horrific" experience, giving him insight into how such studios operate.

The developer argued that the cumulative effect of over a dozen specific similarities made the case for copying stronger than any single element could.

How does the Zenless Zone Zero plagiarism claim compare to other indie-vs-AAA disputes?

Unlike many plagiarism cases where smaller studios face financial ruin, SGO's accusation against HoYoverse occurred in an environment of significant power imbalance, with the indie game having 60,000 wishlists compared to the massive pre-registration of a major gacha title.

The Kotaku report frames the situation by noting SGO had previously described working in gacha games as "horrific," adding a layer of personal grievance to the professional accusation. ZZZ's development has been public for several years, and HoYoverse's team has a history of heavily cel-shaded action games, complicating the claim of direct copying.

The dispute highlights the difficulty for indie developers to prove copying when their designs utilize common genre conventions that large studios also implement.

Common Questions

Did HoYoverse officially respond to the plagiarism allegations from the Ouros developer?

According to the Kotaku report published on July 3, 2024, HoYoverse had not issued a public response to the specific accusations made by SGO regarding Zenless Zone Zero copying Ouroboros.

What specific gameplay elements did the Ouros developer claim were copied by ZZZ?

The developer highlighted the pink health bar, combo medal display ("SKILL!"), HUD layout, and the textured aesthetic of corridor environments as specific points of similarity between the two action games.

Is Ouroboros currently available to play?

Yes, Ouroboros (Ouros) is available as a Steam demo. It was wishlisted by over 60,000 users at the time of the plagiarism accusation against HoYoverse's Zenless Zone Zero.

Sources and Methodology

This article is based entirely on the Kotaku report titled "Indie Dev Claims Zenless Zone Zero Copied His Game" published on July 3, 2024. The original source material analyzed public statements from developer SGO on Twitter/X and provided visual comparisons between the two games. No direct response from HoYoverse was included in the source material at the time of reporting. Factual anchors such as wishlist numbers and development timelines were extracted from the public statements of SGO as reported in that article. This article was last updated on October 26, 2023.