It’s an unfortunate rite of passage for popular indie games: achieving success, only to have the concept immediately pilfered by a wave of low-effort copycats. Meccha Chameleon, which launched just a month ago, is the latest title to fall victim to this trend, with clones now appearing across Steam, Fortnite, and Roblox.

The Scribble Hunt Problem

The most blatant example currently making the rounds is Scribble Hunt. Marketed as a game where you "paint the bunny man" in a hide-and-seek format, it mirrors the exact mechanics of Meccha Chameleon. Players hide in various poses and attempt to paint over their characters to blend into their surroundings, while hunters equipped with paint guns search for suspicious objects. Even the UI is near-identical to the original, which is particularly frustrating given that the UI was the only element in Meccha Chameleon that felt slightly lacking.

Beyond the gameplay, the maps in Scribble Hunt look suspiciously similar to those in Meccha Chameleon, with the only notable difference being the use of bunny-eared models instead of the original clay figures. Perhaps most telling is the AI disclosure found on the Scribble Hunt Steam page, a sign of how quickly these clones can be churned out to capitalize on the success of an indie hit.

A Growing Trend of Copycats

Meccha Chameleon is far from the only game facing this issue. The current landscape of digital storefronts has made it difficult for original games to cut through the noise, leaving them vulnerable to those looking to make a quick buck. Other examples include:

  • Fortnite: Chameleon Hide and Seek, a clear derivative of the original concept.
  • Roblox: A slew of clones including Paint to Survive, Paint and Seek, Paint or DIE, and Paint or Oof.

This follows a wider pattern seen with other indie successes. The game REPO saw a direct ripoff appear on the Nintendo eShop, while the developers of Peak recently went as far as telling their player base they would prefer them to pirate the game rather than engage with "microtransaction Roblox slop ripoffs."

For those looking to experience the hide-and-seek mechanics as intended, the original Meccha Chameleon remains the best option, with over 15 million players currently enjoying the real deal.