Ever since The Traitors premiered in the U.S. in 2023, fans have noticed the similarities between the reality competition show's rules and the party game Mafia.

Like Mafia, The Traitors splits its cast into two groups: the Faithful and the Traitors. The Faithful are tasked with sniffing out the Traitors and voting them out in a banishment ceremony known as the Round Table. The Traitors — who are chosen by host Alan Cumming at the beginning of each season of the show — try to fly under the radar and murder the Faithful each night. If there is even one Traitor left at the end, the Faithful lose. If all Traitors are eliminated, the remaining Faithful split the grand prize. All of this takes place at a castle in the Scottish Highlands.

With Mafia, the gameplay is almost identical, with players split into two teams: the Mafia and the Villagers.

"Nothing," Davidoff told Vulture in an interview published on Tuesday, July 1. "I tried to contact them through their website portal some time ago but did not get any answer."

"Of course, they know about the Mafia game," Davidoff claimed. "How can they not? If you do any kind of due diligence, you see that Mafia is my game, under copyright."

Davidoff pointed out that his email is "right there" in the online rules, which note that he maintains copyright dates on the game of 1987, 1992 and 1998.

"Of course, games are a complicated part of intellectual property, but it does not mean they do not have value," he said. "Game designers' work deserves recognition and reward."

"I don't just say this for myself," he continued, adding that it's "a problem because not respecting other creators is bad for everyone."

Davidoff also offered his opinion on The Traitors, which is based on De Verraders (Dutch for "The Traitors"), a series that premiered in the Netherlands in 2021 and inspired versions in countries around the world. Even NBC.com calls The Traitors "basically a more complicated version of the classic party game Werewolf (sometimes known as Mafia)."

"They have made an entertaining show, but the way they went about it is disappointing," Davidoff, who created the game in 1986 in Moscow, said.

PEOPLE has reached out to Peacock, the streaming home of The Traitors, for comment.

Among the cast are five Real Housewives stars — Candiace Dillard Bassett, Dorinda Medley, Lisa Rinna, Caroline Stanbury and Porsha Williams — as well as alumni from Big Brother, Survivor and Love Island.

Also among the cast are Mark Ballas from Dancing with the Stars, Monét X Change from RuPaul's Drag Race, Top Chef host Kristen Kish and Donna Kelce, mom of Super Bowl winners Jason and Travis Kelce, among others.

A premiere date for The Traitors season 4 has yet to be announced.