Apple drops over 50 "clone" games from app store, all by same developer
iOS games like "Angry Ninja Birds" and "Plant vs. Zombie" removed
Copycat apps are a big problem that goes mostly unchecked, but Apple recently sent a message to serial copycats that this sort of behavior isn't entirely tolerated.
Just before Superbowl weekend, Apple removed a whole mess of "clone" apps from the iTunes App Store, including Plant vs. Zombie, Angry Ninja Bird, and Temple Jump. Yeah, very creative titles, right? For anyone not into the mobile gaming scene, those are clear rip-offs of Plants vs. Zombies, Angry Birds, and Temple Run, all highly successful mobile games. Incidentally, Temple Jump enjoyed some level of popularity before it was removed.
All of the offending titles removed on Friday belonged to indie developer Anton Sinelnikov. According to a tweet by fellow indie iOS dev David Smith, Sinelnikov's 68 apps were chopped by 57, leaving him with just 11 apps.
"Clone" apps are by no means a new thing, but platform holders rarely intervene, making Sinelnikov a special case. As of now, Apple's system does have a few methods of monitoring apps, but users cannot flag blatant copycats -- only offensive content or bugs.
Latest Comments
- Microsoft officially canceling Xbox One online and used game policies across the board [40]
- Nintendo dives into free-to-play with new Steel Diver [5]
- The Walking Dead '400 Days' DLC E3 2013 Impressions: Setting the Stage for Season 2 [4]
- First official look at The Sims 4 confirmed for gamescom, taking the stage August 21 [7]
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 'Vengeance' map pack confirmed, launching July 2 [18]
- Forget booth babes, IndieCade breaks the norm with booth BROS to E3 2013 [17]
- E3 2013: Star Wars: Battlefront teased, in development at DICE [17]
- CD Projekt RED opening 20-person studio in Krakow to work on smaller 20-hour game [4]
Most Comments
- PlayStation E3 live coverage teaser promises showcases of over 40 PS4, PS3 and PS Vita games [255]
- Nintendo Direct @ E3 2013 Live Blog: Will Mario steal Luigi's spotlight? [205]
- Xbox @ E3 2013 Live Blog: Xbox One, Dead Rising 3, Titanfall, the next Halo, and more [191]
- Super Smash Bros launching next year, Mega Man, Villager, Wii Fit Trainer confirmed as new brawlers [117]
- Ubisoft E3 2013 Live Blog: Assassin's Creed, Watch Dogs, Splinter Cell & more [110]
- "The Download: EA 2013" Live Blog: Will Star Wars show up to EA's E3 2013 press conference? [107]
Latest News
- Wed, Jun 19
- Microsoft officially canceling Xbox One online and used game policies across the board
- Nintendo wins appeal over Wii Fit Balance Board patent litigation, probably not over
- Bethesda's VP of PR Pete Hines elaborates on the likely dismal situation with Prey 2
- The Bureau: XCOM Declassified's narrative-driven DLC detailed, game still two months away from launch
- Nintendo dives into free-to-play with new Steel Diver
- Ubisoft CEO says Rayman Legends Wii U delay was "right decision for gamers and for the team"
- Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number's teaser trailer recaptures the pixelated ultraviolence of the original
- Yoshinori Ono tweets image of Deep Down with his Blanka fig, says there's "steady progress"
- Tue, Jun 18
- EA's Frostbite 3 optimizations not exclusive to AMD after all, collaborating on day-one support for Battlefield 4
- First official look at The Sims 4 confirmed for gamescom, taking the stage August 21
- League of Legends Interview: How Riot is shaping the community with less bans, and more rewards
- The Division E3 2013 Impressions: Best bullet holes in glass technology in years
- What's different in New Super Luigi U? Luigi is green, also plenty else as shown in latest trailer
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 'Vengeance' map pack confirmed, launching July 2
- Deadpool's harem introduced, adds Rogue, Domino and Psylocke to the cast so he can call them hot
- Oculus Rift secures additional $16 million in funding, one step closer to retail
- Shadowrun Returns pushed to July 25 release date, citing polish and bugfixing
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Impressions: Bigger and better than ever, plus a horse
- Mon, Jun 17
- Forget booth babes, IndieCade breaks the norm with booth BROS to E3 2013
- Bayonetta 2 E3 2013 Hands-On: Fighting angelic centaurs on a jet fighter, enough said?
- CD Projekt RED opening 20-person studio in Krakow to work on smaller 20-hour game
- May NPD Number Crunch: Injustice holds the fort during another weak month for the industry
- Sony UK head Fergal Gara pleased with E3 messaging, says "loads more hard work to do"
- Microsoft's Mattrick defends Xbox One's $499 price, says it delivers "thousands of dollars of value"
- Gears of War: Judgment DLC 'Lost Relics' announced, packaging maps, skins and a new gametype
Latest Net Reviews
| · | Kingston HyperX Beast DDR3-2133 2x8GB Kit |
| · | Nanoxia Deep Silence 2 (German) |
| · | Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 |
| · | Intel Core i7-4770K |
| · | MSI GTX 770 N770 Twin Frozr 2GD5/OC |
| · | OCZ Vertex 3.20 |
Latest Inhouse
It's not hard to be original, why bother ripping 90% off something?
Angry Birds and Crush the Castle have the same premise(launch objects at structures with physics), but are entirely and completely different, by example.
Has anyone noticed that there's an app called Angry Chickens?
The one title I find kinda strange is Plant vs. Zombie... What was that? A singular Plant fighting a singular Zombie? Sounds boring as f*ck.