HoYoverse’s New Game Petit Planet Accused of Copying VR Hit Little Planet: Dev Claims ‘Striking Similarities’

VR development company VRWOOD is actively seeking ways to defend its intellectual property rights after alleging that the soon-to-be-released game by HoYoverse, named Petit Planet, closely resembles its own title, Little Planet.

Little Planet made its debut on the Meta Quest platform just last week, following an early access release in November 2023. This virtual reality game offers a life simulation experience akin to Animal Crossing, where players can engage in activities like crafting unique decorations, befriending anthropomorphic animal characters, dressing up, playing various games, fishing, and interacting with others in a multiplayer setting called StarNexus. Although VRWOOD has recognized some similarities to Animal Crossing, the company cites the 1943 French tale The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry as its primary inspiration.

Interestingly, VRWOOD mentioned to us that Petit Planet reminded them of The Little Prince when we had a first look last week, without prior knowledge of Little Planet. Petit Planet shares several features with Little Planet, such as the sandbox life sim genre, a small planetary setting, Animal Crossing-style gameplay, animal inhabitants, and customization options. It also includes online capabilities that allow players to craft and socialize on a distinct multiplayer planet named the Galactic Bazaar. Notable differences include a larger budget for Petit Planet and its non-VR format, although VRWOOD has future plans to expand Little Planet to PC, consoles, and mobile platforms. Petit Planet, on the other hand, is set to launch on PC and mobile. Both games will be available for free.

A critical point of contention is the claim by Little Planet that it was first to market. The game entered early access in November 2023 and was fully launched only last week. In contrast, the trademark for Petit Planet was filed in October 2024, with its announcement coming only this September, and it has yet to be released. Furthermore, the beta version of Petit Planet reportedly still includes AI-generated text, suggesting ongoing development.

“We are quite disheartened to see that just days after Little Planet’s release, a prominent game developer has introduced a game that not only shares a similar name and setting but also mirrors many features and even the inspirational source,” expressed Frank Zhaung, CEO of VRWOOD and creative director of Little Planet. “Little Planet has been accessible in early access since November 15, 2023, nearly a year before HoYoverse applied for a trademark on October 31, 2024. We are evaluating every possible avenue to safeguard our intellectual property and our future expansion plans, which include branching out to mobile, PC, and console platforms.”