Clockwork Revolution accused of copying BioShock Infinite
These dystopian steampunk games, they're just all the same these days, aren't they? Much like the upcoming Lies of P is a love letter to Bloodborne, inxile Entertainment's Clockwork Revolution is giving us some serious BioShock Infinite vibes. Apparently, we aren't the only ones to notice.
Coming out in 2013, Irrational Games' soft reboot of the BioShock series took us from the briny deep of Rapture to the soaring heights of Columbia. BioShock Infinite's reception has warmed over the years, and with it earning its place in the history books, it seems someone has taken a page out of the said book.
BioShock Infinite producer calls out Clockwork Revolution
Posting a lengthy (now-deleted) Twitter thread, user @Butmac goes on a rant about Clockwork Revolution. According to PCGamer, they're a trailer producer who worked on BioShock Infinite.
"I've never seen a game take from another game as directly as Clockwork Revolution took from Bioshock Infinite," says Butmac. "I mean, that was IP infringement levels of borrow." In a separate thread, they collated screenshots from both games for a side-by-side.
"A little over 10 years ago I got to produce the BioShock Infinite trailers, so those scenes are scorched into my brain. Watching the trailer for Clockwork Revolution today I felt like I was having a flashback, so I made some comparisons to see if I was crazy," they wrote.
Butmac wasn't alone in their thoughts. Someone added, "Clockwork Revolution really seems like it wants to be a cross between Bioshock Infinite and Dishonored. Not necessarily a bad thing, just quite apparent." Another said, "Bioshock didn't invent steampunk but the concepts in the trailer already seem similar."
Not everyone was against the idea, with others excited by the concept of a BioShock-inspired title. "Clockwork Revolution is just steampunk time travel Bioshock and I am down for it," said one, and another concluded, "Clockwork Revolution asks the brave question: 'What if BioShock Infinite wasn't dogsh*t?'"
inXile has addressed BioShock Infinite critiques
Click to enlargeThe situation has gotten so heated, inXile Entertainment has tackled the critiques directly. Speaking to IGN, a Microsoft spokesperson is adamant that any similarities between the two games are accidental: "Any similarities are unintentional. Players will be able to fully customize their own main character in the game."
This was highlighted by inXile boss Brian Fargo, who defended his game in a series of tweets. Amping up the "deep RPG" elements of Clockwork Revolution, Fargo has tried to distance the title from BioShock Infinite being a linear first-person shooter.
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but that's clearly not enough for Butmac. At the end of the day, there's no proof that Clockwork Revolution has copied assets or anything like that, so good luck getting this one to stand up in court. Either way, we say there should be more flying steampunk games.
