Why is this allowed on XBLA?

[Solo-Wing]

So I went to check the Top Downloads section of the XBLA Indie games hoping I might find a gem in it. What did I stumble across instead?

Well um...

TotalMiner (http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Total-Miner-Forge/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802585508c3)
CastleMiner Z (http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/CastleMiner-Z/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802585509dc)
CastleMiner (http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/CastleMiner/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d80258550900)
FortressCraft (http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-CA/Product/FortressCraft-Chapter-1/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d80258550821?downloadType=Game&noSplash=1)

Oh Dear...

Four games that all look like EXTREME rip-offs of Minecraft. Does... Does Mojang know of this? If not I REALLY believe they should be informed of this.

Thoughts?

 

[Sassafrass]

It's allowed because there was no Minecraft for the 360 when those games were made (I think FortressCraft has been around for a year now.) and as such, 360 gamers had no ways of getting to experience Minecraft apart from those games.

Anyway, I don't see anyone complaining about the Angry Fish game on the Indie section, nor do I see anyone complaining about the Trails HD remake on the same Indie section either. Just let them be, it's not really something to get worked up about.

 

[twistedheat15]

No different from the millons of renamed tetris, bubble popper, space invaders, ect remakes. Any idea will have a millon rip offs by the end of the week.

 

[Drave]

you must be new to the internet

also fortress craft is pretty fun

 

[Sixcess]

What's said about this is that people will play these shoddy rip-offs and come away thinking that this is what Minecraft is actually like.

And they look terrible. Horrible horrible graphics.

 

[Ordinaryundone]

Hah, suing indie devs for making rip offs is like throwing stones at the ocean. 99% of what comes out of indie devs could be seen as rip offs.

Actually, scratch that. I wish Mojang would sue one of them for copyright infringement. The irony would be hilarious.

 

[Solo-Wing]

But people that sad part is... They are the top four on the most downloaded list. All four. In succession. I REALLY think that Mojang should be doing something about this...

 

[The_Blue_Rider]

But people that sad part is... They are the top four on the most downloaded list. All four. In succession. I REALLY think that Mojang should be doing something about this...

Well Minecraft was heavily inspired by another game, Infinty miner or something like that, so Notch cant really do anything about it without being labelled a hypocrite. Besides is it really that big of a deal? Theres a million freaking variations of Snake, Bubbleburst, Tetris and Space invaders out there so what makes Minecraft a special exception?

 

[Ruwrak]

I don't even think they should be worried really.
I mean... Minecraft will blow em outta the water. Besides there are tons of rip-offs, not only on XBLA. Not much they can do about it (or want to do about it?)

 

[PixelKing]

TotalMiner is a blatent rip off.
FortressCraft tries to be different.
Castleminer I haven't played.

 

[Denariax]

They're indie games.

That's the only explanation you should get.

 

[Blunderboy]

Hah, suing indie devs for making rip offs is like throwing stones at the ocean. 99% of what comes out of indie devs could be seen as rip offs.

Actually, scratch that. I wish Mojang would sue one of them for copyright infringement. The irony would be hilarious.

Oh it would be delicious.
See how his legion of devoted fans react to that.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Er...how is that different to hordes of identical FPS or RTS? The names are a bit more blatant, but otherwise, seems much the same.

 

[ultrachicken]

Because you can't copyright gameplay mechanics.