A solo board game developer has accused Jackbox Games of plagiarizing his work in its latest release, "Debate and Switch," featured in the "Jackbox Party Pack 12." Sam Greszes, creator of the social party game "Die On This Hill," claims the new Jackbox title bears a striking resemblance to his own game, which he pitched to Jackbox Games for a potential video game adaptation.
Both "Die On This Hill" and "Debate and Switch" involve players assembling and then debating silly topics, incorporate audience voting, and allow for the modification of topics to alter their meaning. Greszes stated that after initial interest and a request for a demo of "Die On This Hill" in early 2025, communication with Jackbox Games dwindled. Over a year later, he saw a YouTube announcement for "Debate and Switch."
"It feels like a betrayal," Greszes told Kotaku. "Especially of someone who’s grown up with [Jackbox] games and plays them every year."
Jackbox Games has since responded to the allegations, stating that "Debate and Switch" was conceived and developed internally without knowledge of "Die On This Hill." In a statement provided to Kotaku, the company explained its submission process: "Like many studios, we receive a large number of outside pitches and submissions. They go to our business development team, which does not work on party pack games. We intentionally don’t share those submissions with our game teams, precisely so that independent development stays independent."
Jackbox Games added that the copy of "Die On This Hill" sent by Greszes was not accessed by the "Debate and Switch" development team. The company also noted that they had informed Greszes in writing prior to receiving his submission that they often develop pitches internally and might already have a similar concept. They stated that if this was a concern, he was under no obligation to send his game.
Greszes developed "Die On This Hill" after being laid off in 2024, seeking to create something enjoyable from online arguments. The game uses word cards to form phrases like "math paved the way for ketchup," with players debating the resulting topics while others vote. Greszes successfully funded the board game through a Kickstarter campaign in late 2024.
Before distributing physical copies to backers, Greszes, who is local to Jackbox Games' Chicago headquarters, reached out to the company with the idea of a video game adaptation. He described initial meetings where Jackbox expressed interest, discussing potential financials and the necessity for the video game to be priced lower than the board game. Greszes reportedly conveyed that his primary motivation was to get the game released and recognized.
He offered to send a demo copy of "Die On This Hill," but requested an agreement stating his involvement if Jackbox decided to create a game based on it. According to Greszes, Jackbox declined this request, which he found reasonable at the time. He sent them a copy of the board game in March 2025, which also arrived at Jackbox Games.
After confirming receipt, Greszes followed up multiple times, only to be told that no one had yet had time to play the game. He eventually ceased communication, concluding it was a "no go."
Months later, after communication with Jackbox had ended, Greszes discovered videos online discussing the development of "Debate and Switch" and footage of the game being demoed at Pax West 2026. He expressed his shock on social media.
Greszes acknowledged that game mechanics are not copyrightable and that no formal or verbal contract was made. He suggested the similarities might be a case of convergent evolution in game design, a common occurrence in the industry. He stated he is not seeking financial compensation or an apology, but expressed a desire for acknowledgment. "If Jackbox got in touch with me and they were like, 'Hey, we’re making this game. It has some similarities, but we feel we have done enough to differentiate it. We wanted to give you the heads up. We can put you in a special thanks, and we’ll shout at like we’ll promote your game on social media because we think it’s cool, and it was an inspiration to us as we made our game,'" Greszes said. "I would have been over the freaking moon."