VR developer VRWOOD is “exploring all possible options” to protect its intellectual property after claiming that HoYoverse’s upcoming Animal Crossing-like game, Petit Planet, bears a “striking similarity” to its own game, Little Planet.
Little Planet launched on Meta Quest just last week, after releasing in early access in November 2023. The game is a VR life simulation sandbox similar to Animal Crossing, where players can create customizable decorations and customize… a petite planet, make friends with talking animal neighbors, dress up, play games, fish, and interact online with other players via a multiplayer planet known as StarNexus. The creator of VRWOOD confirmed the game’s similarities to Animal Crossing, but it is there he said she was a true inspiration to him was the 1943 French story “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
Which is kind of captivating that VRWOOD brought to our attention because The Little Prince was exactly what we thought of when we saw Petit Planet last week, even though we had never heard of Little Planet before. Like Little Planet, Petit Planet is also a life simulation sandbox game set on a petite planet and features Animal Crossing-like gameplay, animal inhabitants, crafting and customization, and even online features to craft items and play with friends, similarly set on a separate multiplayer planet known as the Galactic Bazaar. The biggest difference seems to be due to the higher budget and the fact that Little Planet is a VR game, but VRWOOD told us it has plans for PC, consoles and even mobile devices. Petit Planet is currently announced for PC and mobile devices. Both games are free
Most critical, however, is Little Planet’s claim to have gotten here first. Little Planet entered early access in November 2023 and officially launched just last week, while the Petit Planet trademark was registered in October 2024, the game itself was only announced last September and has yet to be released. Moreover, even though it is already in beta, it seems that it may still need some development time considering reports that the beta version still contains AI-generated text.
“We are disheartened to learn that just days after the launch of Little Planet, a major publisher and developer announced a game with striking similarities, right down to the name, setting and features, and even the stated inspiration,” said Frank Zhaung, CEO of VRWOOD and Creative Director of Little Planet. “Little Planet has been available in early access since November 15, 2023, almost a full year before HoYoverse filed its trademark application on October 31, 2024. We are exploring all possible options to protect our intellectual property and future plans, which include releases on mobile devices as well as PC and consoles.”
IGN has reached out to HoYovers for comment.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Her posts can be found on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Have a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
