Vampire Survivors creator admits his success was “lucky” amid a wave of cheap mobile knock-offs: “For everyone else, they have to stand out among the hundreds”

If you’re anything like me, then Vampire Survivors has ruined your life since it launched in 2021. The breakthrough auto-battler (survivor-like? Whatever we are calling this genre now) took the world by storm, picking up the Golden Joystick Breakthrough Award in 2022. Its success also spawned all manner of copycats, with a sentient potato, a Deep Rock Galactic spinoff, and an official movie tie-in with Nicholas Cage’s Renfield all taking a bash at the formula. But despite all the pretenders to the throne, Vampire Survivors has remained at the front of the pack, something the game’s creator, Luca Galente, says was just pure luck.

While there were sincere homages (like the ones mentioned above), Vampire Survivors’ success spawned all manner of cheap mobile knock-offs trying to steal the thunder from Poncle. “The first thing I noticed was the literal ripoffs. People would copy and paste Vampire Survivors and publish it on other stores,” Galente told Edge Magazine. He later added, “some people are inspired, which is great, but there will always be vultures trying to make money out of whatever the latest trend is.”