• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Gameloft's shameless ripoffs - how do they get away with this? [Impressions Thread]

S

Sean

Banned
This isn't a new thing if you own an iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad but how is it that Gameloft has never been sued for all their shameless ripoffs? Their games are mostly clones of successful titles that not only look the same but are sometimes named similarly too. Just today they revealed an Uncharted-like game (trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CqO4t7y_3I) and that got me thinking of some of their past clones. Some examples (there are quite a few more including a GoW and RE clone):

Blades of Fury (aka Soul Calibur)
mzl.etdypmyf.320x480-75.jpg


Gangstar: Miami Vindication for iPad (aka GTA Vice City)
mzl.jricgetc.480x480-75.jpg


Modern Combat (aka CoD Modern Warfare)
mzl.crmjylnz.320x480-75.jpg


NOVA (aka HALO) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THEBf4Xrp40
mzl.jnsnnslf.480x480-75.jpg


Guitar Rock Tour 2 (aka Guitar Hero)
mzl.xdjqvjhc.320x480-75.jpg


Gameloft is one of the top publishers on the App Store and their games have sold over 20 million paid copies a few months ago. Surely the developers of these original titles must be pissed that Gameloft is making tons of profits by cloning their IP? How do they continue to get away with this? I think they're actually a pretty capable mobile developer that could make nice original games yet all they seem to do is shameless clones.
 
S

saunderez

Member
They're making new games. Just because they're similar to existing titles doesn't mean they've done anything wrong. Plenty of devs make derivative trash and get away with it, unfortunately its not a crime.
 
DJ_Lae

DJ_Lae

Member
Some part of me is a little bothered by it, I guess, but at the same time - there's a market for those games and often the original developers can't be bothered or are simply too slow to make mobile/iPhone versions of their big selling games.

In that regard props to Gameloft for having the balls to shamelessly rip off all those games and make a profit from it.
 
M

Manmademan

Member
entrement said:
Are not aware of the history of this industry?
Click to expand...

there IS precedent for suing the bejeezus out of publishers when they get too shameless. remember data east vs. capcom over fighter's history?
 
L

Lonely1

Unconfirmed Member
Manmademan said:
there IS precedent for suing the bejeezus out of publishers when they get too shameless. remember data east vs. capcom over fighter's history?
Click to expand...
Didn't Data East won?
 
K

KareBear

Member
Sean said:
This isn't a new thing if you own an iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad but how is it that Gameloft has never been sued for all their shameless ripoffs? Their games are mostly clones of successful titles that not only look the same but are sometimes named similarly too. Just today they revealed an Uncharted-like game (trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CqO4t7y_3I) and that got me thinking of some of their past clones. Some examples (there are quite a few more including a GoW and RE clone):

Gameloft is one of the top publishers on the App Store and their games have sold over 20 million paid copies a few months ago. Surely the developers of these original titles must be pissed that Gameloft is making tons of profits by cloning their IP? How do they continue to get away with this? I think they're actually a pretty capable mobile developer that could make nice original games yet all they seem to do is shameless clones.
Click to expand...

Can you post videos of the GoW and RE clones please?Its really impressive seeing the kind of games you can get running on the iphone now.
 
Haunted

Haunted

Member
Movies have mockbusters, games have clones and ripoffs.


It's shameless, but actually suing them would be very difficult.
 
DiscoJer

DiscoJer

Member
I would say because to a certain extent, the market wants clones. Especially clones of a popular game that isn't on that device.

You saw this back in the early days. Atari grabbed Pac-Man, so you had K.C. Munchkin and Lock N Chase.

Activision specialized in this. Star Master was a knock off of Star Raiders. Chopper Command, Defender. Freeway, Frogger. Robot Tank, Battlezone.

These are perhaps a bit more blatant, and true, Activision did make some very original IP.
 
M

MiniBossBattle

Member
As long as they are not taking actual art assets & codes then I think its alright. Its the direct stealing of art assets or publishers (often cell phone companies) that take "art tests" and put them into the game that REALLY grind my gears.
 
M

MoogPaul

Member
I like how this thread was supposed to be about shitting on Gameloft and it is instead making more sales for them :lol
 
L

Lyte Edge

All I got for the Vernal Equinox was this stupid tag
Persona7 said:
blades of fury is actually pretty cool though
Click to expand...

No, it's actually pretty not cool.

Most of these iPhone games would be pretty decent if the controls didn't suck so badly. I picked up Modern Combat 2 and it just feels unplayable.
 
D

Dick Laurent

Member
regardless of basing their games on existing successful franchises they're still making the games themselves, that is they still have to do the most important part of game development. most of the time gameloft's games are good aswell, so they're not screwing the people buying these. I can't see any reason to be offended on behalf of some much much bigger company
 
C

cuyahoga

Dudebro, My Shit is Fucked Up So I Got to Shoot/Slice You II: It's Straight-Up Dawg Time
The demo for the original Gangstar was one of the most disgustingly racist games I have ever played.

Not ever going to give this company one cent.
 
S

Sho_Nuff82

Member
The opening cinematic of Hero of Sparta 2 is actually quite impressive for a mobile game. And I seriously laughed when they called the hero "Argos".
 
S

Sixfortyfive

He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
saunderez said:
They're making new games. Just because they're similar to existing titles doesn't mean they've done anything wrong. Plenty of devs make derivative trash and get away with it, unfortunately its not a crime.
Click to expand...
Unfortunate? Some of my favorite games are derivative trash.
 
H

heringer

Member
MoogPaul said:
I like how this thread was supposed to be about shitting on Gameloft and it is instead making more sales for them :lol
Click to expand...
My thoughts exactly. :lol

In their defense, they can do some quality stuff. Their Ultimate Spider-Man game is among the best in the App Store. Dungeon Hunter is pretty sweet too.
 
dream

dream

Member
heringer said:
My thoughts exactly. :lol

In their defense, they can do some quality stuff. Their Ultimate Spider-Man game is among the best in the App Store. Dungeon Hunter is pretty sweet too.
Click to expand...

Which is what annoys me about Gameloft. The few games they've made that aren't wholesale copy and paste jobs of popular franchises are pretty good.
 
W

Why would you do that?

Member
Don't have a problem with this at all. Some of the best games were derivatives of, or inspired by other games.

If people could sue Gameloft, then Nintendo could likely sue Konami for "Metroidvania", or Capcom for Okami... and maybe Enix could sue Square, Atlus, Falcom, etc. for RPGs.

Something that did happen was, Konami sued Activision for Guitar Hero post-Harmonix, because of Guitarfreaks. But that's because of the guitar hardware, not the game itself.
 
T

Tiktaalik

Member
Lonely1 said:
No one is stopping Namco, Rockstar, Activision and MS to out their IPs at the app store.
Click to expand...


I have to agree with this. There's a huge gap in the market where the big players haven't done much or were very slow, and Gameloft is filling that gap.
 
B

bon

Member
They're not technically doing anything wrong unless they actually steal assets from the games they're copying. It's like how there are a bunch of weird off-brand soft drinks that taste SORT of like Dr. Pepper, and they even have "Dr." in their names, but they're not Dr. Pepper.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Atlus was 'extremely careful' about Persona 3 Reload changes: 'Good things do not get old with time, and greatness does not fade away'
Community
36
3K
Danjin44 replied
Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster | Review Thread
Analysis Review 2
57
4K
The Pleasure replied
  • Poll
Baldur's Gate 3 developer says the game isn't really a CRPG - in any sense of the word
Opinion
40
3K
Neilg replied
Tomb Raider I-III Remastered | Review Thread
Analysis Review
17
3K
winjer replied
Alone in the Dark | Review Thread
Analysis Review 2 3
136
7K
Alan Wake replied
Top Bottom