One theme has dominated this week in terms of App Store news - the alleged copying of games; typically with small indies pointing out the similarity of games from larger outfits.
That's not the only level of cloning, however, with the longterm use of similar names and icons something that's bedevilled the ecosystem for as long as it's been live.
Just take a look at how many are out there with the words 'Angry' or 'Birds' in the title, for example
Might as well jump
That was the complaint from Temple Run developer Imangi when Temple Jump was released and quickly zoomed up the paid charts, hitting #3 in the US.
Significantly, the gameplay was totally different, although with no screenshots listed on the App Store, users wouldn't know it.
Indeed, as well as the name, the icon looked suspiciously similar too.
Temple Jump icon (left) Temple Run icon (right)
Still, there is a happy ending to this story, with Temple Jump being removed from the App Store complaints.
Presumably the developer will be allowed to resubmit the game using a different icon and tweaked title.
Although, considering Anton Sinelnikov is also behind games such as Plants vs Zombie, Angry Ninja Birds, and Sexual Offenders HD, we'll suggest that's unlikely.
[Update: It since appears that Apple has taken down a number of his other 'confusing' titles.]
Tower underground
The case of Pixel Story is more complex, however.
There's nothing in the description or title to suggest it's directly inspired by NimbleBit's Tiny Tower - a game already fingered as inspiration for Zynga's Dream Heights.
Yet a comparison of screenshots suggests otherwise, albeit it with a conceptual twist, including an undead theme and the building of a tower reversed into the building of an underground tower.
Tiny Tower (left) Pixel Story (right)
News
Contributing Editor
A Pocket Gamer co-founder, Jon is Contributing Editor at PG.biz which means he acts like a slightly confused uncle who's forgotten where he's left his glasses. As well as letters and cameras, he likes imaginary numbers and legumes.
Top Stories
Feature
May 17th, 2024
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from a battle royale to a console classic remake
Feature
May 16th, 2024
Behind the scenes: How adding sandwich offers to an idle merge game boosted three metrics at once
Events
Digital Dragons | Europe | May 19th |
GamesBeat Summit 2024 | North America | May 20th |
Mobidictum Meetup Tallinn May 2024 | Europe | May 21st |
Nordic Game Spring 2024 | Nordic | May 21st |
Impact 2024 - Indie Games | May 23rd | |
Morocco Gaming Expo | Africa | May 24th |
MomoCon 2024 | North America | May 24th |
Unreal Fest Gold Coast 2024 | Australasia | May 29th |
Popular Stories
Feature
May 14th, 2024
53 top mobile games in soft launch: Squad Busters, Battle Guys: Royale, Plants vs. Zombies 3, LEGO Hill Climb Adventures, and more
Feature
May 13th, 2024
Hot Five: Dubai's new Gaming Visa, April's mobile game charts, and Xbox studio closures
Interview
May 13th, 2024