In January 2019, Greg Pryjmachuk, the founder of the studio Minskworks and the developer of Jalopy, was working from home on his latest project Landlord’s Super when he caught sight of an unusual announcement from Jalopy’s publisher Excalibur Games on Twitter.
Excalibur had just revealed its latest game, Road to Guangdong, a simulation/narrative title about a trip across China in order to save a family restaurant from ruin.
For Pryjmachuk, the game seemed somewhat familiar. Jalopy, Pryjmachuk’s successful road trip game, had also focused on a journey across a geographically distinct region in a banged-up old car (featuring a different coloured door), accompanied by an elderly family member. Though Pryjmachuk doesn’t try to claim ownership over the road trip genre by any means, he feels uneasy now about the similarities.