Updated: flOw Creator Accuses iPhone Game of Copying

[nipsen]

Almost as good as the "we've created a program that can seamlessly transition between wifi and 3g for the iPhone - but we need some money to complete it, please send us loads of cash" scam. Cheek!

 

[calelogan]

This happens all the time at this level of game creation. How many of these people try to make a living just copying Bejewelled, Diner Dash or whatever they see making money? They move up market to join in on the iPhone gold rush and rip off classier ideas for the Apple victim demographic.

Ripping off people's game designs is a way of life and I'm all for it.

But that's the exact same art as fl0w. If they wanted to make the exact same game and do new assets for it, gravy. But that's just blatant.

Exactly. Ideas, per se, are not under copyright protection and there's no denying inspiration plays an integral part in whatever we create.

But this...is simply denying the obvious. Giving credit to someone or something is actually a compliment.

 

[HobbesMkii]

Wow, that is pretty ridiculous, I watched the whole video, and it's the exact web game, except for the arrows that point you toward the light-cells or whatever and the level announcing type. What a tool to hope to profit off by copying some guy's college project.

Also, it's a worse rip off. If flOw had had that music with those sound f/x, I definitely wouldn't have played it. It's just abrasive on the old eardrums.

 

[Jumplion]

Does anyone else find it funny that the creator of this rip-off countered on a YouTube comment?

 

[asinann]

This must be how PopCap feel when they see the zillions of Bejeweled etc clones that are just different enough to avoid legal action

Except that this isn't different enough to avoid legal action, this guy could sue and win without much trouble. It's not like the guy asked for money, he just wants his name mentioned in the credits.

 

[Haydyn]

Does the game "Shark" (or was it "Shark Shark"?) ring a bell? Eat little guys while avoiding big guys that you can later eat, all in a water-like enviroment.

 

[asiepshtain]

JESUS, how can the original creator not go fucking crazy?!

I would sue them so fast they would think there are lawyers hidden in their closets. My god this kind of shit pisses me off!

 

[Ashbax]

this stuff is just retarded.

Its the same game for gods sake!

 

[Jumplion]

It seems that the people who made Aquatica has an apology on their site [http://www.ketara.ca/aqua.html].

Please note: Aquatica is an iPhone from-the-ground-up re-make (FAN VERSION) of the famous flOw game created by Jenova Chen of the ThatGameCompany fame. We deeply apologize for not properly crediting him earlier. Our mistakes were caused by naivety, not malice.

Granted, it's not much of an apology, but an apology nonetheless.

 

[FloodOne]

It seems that the people who made Aquatica has an apology on their site [http://www.ketara.ca/aqua.html].

Please note: Aquatica is an iPhone from-the-ground-up re-make (FAN VERSION) of the famous flOw game created by Jenova Chen of the ThatGameCompany fame. We deeply apologize for not properly crediting him earlier. Our mistakes were caused by naivety, not malice.

Granted, it's not much of an apology, but an apology nonetheless.

Well I'm betting Chen is happy, seeing as how that is all he wanted.

 

[L.B. Jeffries]

Ripping off people's game designs is a way of life and I'm all for it.

But that's the exact same art as fl0w. If they wanted to make the exact same game and do new assets for it, gravy. But that's just blatant.

You only think that this is wrong and a Diner Dash clone that is almost exactly the same as Diner Dash only with slightly different art is acceptable because you, probably rightly, don't care about Diner Dash or it's creators.

Your point and mine seemed to have missed each other. If someone made a game that looked and played exactly like Diner Dash then tried to pretend they had never played Diner Dash in their life, I'd say the exact same thing. It's a dick move and they're not fooling anyone.

 

[GodsOneMistake]

Wow, just wow.... Thats the same fucking game

 

[More Fun To Compute]

Your point and mine seemed to have missed each other. If someone made a game that looked and played exactly like Diner Dash then tried to pretend they had never played Diner Dash in their life, I'd say the exact same thing. It's a dick move and they're not fooling anyone.

I find it interesting that people think that a set of graphics or even a typeface is worth defending as a creative work but a game design isn't.

 

[badsectoracula]

How many of these people try to make a living just copying Bejewelled, Diner Dash or whatever they see making money?

Actually Diner Dash is mostly a rip-off of another indie game called Betty's Beer Bar by Mystery Studios (google it). BBB didn't got as popular as Diner Dash got mostly because gaming portals thought that Betty was too... "booby" for their demographic and/or they didn't liked that she was serving beer.

 

[More Fun To Compute]

Actually Diner Dash is mostly a rip-off of another indie game called Betty's Beer Bar by Mystery Studios (google it). BBB didn't got as popular as Diner Dash got mostly because gaming portals thought that Betty was too... "booby" for their demographic and/or they didn't liked that she was serving beer.

Doesn't surprise me. It explains why so few indie game makers think that it is worth making anything other than a clone with a re-skin. Y'know, why bother.

 

[Azahiel]

This game is identical to flOw :/ So what that they wrote the code from scracth if the whole design, gameplay and idea are almost identical!

Making clones of games is one thing, but making a rip-off is another...

Look at Starcraft. It set a standard for RTS games and for some time many clones came and went, some really really similar. But none was as identical as Starcraft. The gameplay may have been the same with minor tweaks, but it wasn't the same. The atmosphere and design was different. Take Submarine Titans as an example. It's similar, but different.

Now compare this and flOw. Almost same design, identical idea, same mood and atmosphere, same gameplay. In fact except the fact that Aquatica looks better than flOw there is no other difference.

BTW: this news needs an update.
From the description of the You Tube clip of Aquatica:

Please note that we have decided that it is in the best interests of everyone to delete this game from the App Store. We will also do our best to make sure nothing like this happens in the future.

========================

Aquatica is an iPhone from-the-ground-up re-make of the famous flOw game created by Jenova Chen of the ThatGameCompany fame.

Please also note that we deeply apologize for not initially crediting Jenova Chen. We simply (naively) did not think it necessary, since we did indeed write absolute *ALL* the code ourselves and we though it was obvious that the game was a remake of flOw.

We have corrected this by posting proper credits everywhere, and have also contacted Jenova Chen to apologize personally.