Maybe it just isn't quite that obvious to me... Care to add a little detail? I suppose subjectively I see the difference between what the dev did in this case to Rovio and Angry Birds. But I don't think I quite understand where the line would be in between. What could this dev have done differently such that it wouldn't be such an outrage?
Rovio devs took a gameplay concept and added it's own spin. Think of it like uh... Shadow Complex vs. Super Metroid or Infinity Blade vs Punch Out. Same gameplay concept, different levels, story, graphics, twists. The Rotate and Roll devs seemingly took the name, graphics, levels and gameplay directly from an existing Flash game without permission from the original developer. I'd say it's a pretty clear cut issue.
I can't help but be suspicious when someone with three posts starts out by posting on a topic like this... but maybe i've watched too much C.S.I, where the person responsible returns to the scene and talks to the cops! haha. To answer your question: the second party could have (a) acquired consent for cloning the game, OR, (b) developed their own original game, or even (c) created a new game INSPIRED by the original, but without reproducing it.
No need to be suspicious, I am in no way related to any parties, nor am I planning on ripping off a game (I think). I've been working with iOS for a bit over a year, and I had never touched on games at all. Recently I decided to give it a go just for kicks, I tried reproducing Gimme Friction Baby. I showed it to some of my friends and they ended up having a good time with it, I noticed there wasn't anything quite like it on the app store so I put some more time into it (Rovio cloned a flash game, why can't I?)... I started out working out cute little graphics and what not. It turns out that porting to the iPhone has naturally led me away from a straight clone game play wise as well. So with this in the back of my mind and based on how I feel about Angry Birds I'm just curious how one draws the line?
I'd say a very heavy line is drawn when you actually use the other games graphics, code or audio. People don't mind clones when they've been built from scratch or using open source assets... but if you were, for example, to build an Angry Birds clone using the exact same bird graphics the Rovio artist drew, you'd be in trouble. Draw your own birds and you're probably good to go, legality-wise, although the community might not give you much respect if you weren't even imaginative enough to change birds into rabbits or something. The best clones are the ones that don't just copy other games, but also try to improve them with something new and original. After all, games wouldn't be where they are today without this happening. 12,000th post.
I agree with this completely. By "letting" him share the profits with you, you put him in the driver's seat and are potentially giving away rights to your intellectual property. What if he decides to do a sequel without your authorization? Also, people will now think that the other company owns the product, so aside from the legal implications, you're not building up your company brand, which is about the same importance as a game brand. It's not that hard to get a lawyer, search for one on Google near you and give them a call. They'll just need to craft a few letters to Apple, and perhaps the other company. Don't take the easy route now by giving in to this blatant infringement as it'll bite you in the butt down the road.
Have the apple checks go to your bank account and cut him a small portion for the port. Don't get taken advantage of, I played the flash game and it was fun and I bet translates really well to iOS platform as the charts have dictated. +1 on Lawyer - Matt
In summary, almost everyone in this thread has recommended getting a lawyer to ensure you get a fair and reasonable deal. It's the logical thing to do. Yes, it's much easier to just take what you're offered....but you'll most likely sell yourself short.
I'd work on getting them closed down, then contact a publisher like Chilingo to publish your game on the Appstore. They should give you enough profits to keep afloat until your next game.
Nope I hadn't, no matter, as I continued development it's migrated pretty far away from Gimme Friction Baby anyway. Anyway, I'll stop stealing this thread now, thanks for pointing that out to me.
what is the difference between your case and halfbot, rivers?? I'd say, take that shitty developer down and put your own app!!! I'll buy your app to support you!!
i won't lie - this game rotate and roll is one of the best flash games I've ever played. Kudos for creating something so original in such a saturated market!
The game has been back on the AppStore for a quite a while now. I'm guessing something was agreed upon over the copyright issue. Decided to play the game today and ended up spending about an hour finishing all 55 levels I had left with three stars. GameCenter is missing so I deleted it as soon as I was done, but it was pretty fun. The update that changed the control type made the game much too easy in my opinion on the contrary to the general opinion.
