Unpacking the Unpacking Rip-off
By Xander Townsend | Misfit Media Editor
Recently an indie game I have been following the development and extremely successful release of, was ripped off by and sold on the apple store making the top charts and causing immeasurable damage and losses. Another amazing studio has lost success and investment that is rightfully theirs because another iOS developer believes it is their right to take content that they had no part in to make quick money.
Unpacking has been a finalist and winner of most game awards in Australia, and was even incorporated in the 2021 steam game awards. Saying this game is a major player within the indie games industry is an understatement. I have seen it grow from a demo with 3 playable rooms at PAX Australia 3 years ago, to one of the most successful releases to come out of Australia. I couldn't talk-up and recommend this title more. Even with its unique art style and revolutionary investment in simplicity and satisfaction, It was still the target of senseless and one-dimensional plagiarism.
Apple has been known to host a plethora of rip-off games within its iOS store. Condensing a pre-existing successful game for a small screen and limited controls seems to be the go to for a lot of titles released for iOS. Now, the main issue stems from something I have experienced firsthand when involved in game development and business workshops. There has been an influx of developers with one simple goal in mind, to make money. It is so easy to believe that the iOS store is a place where people can get rich fast, and for a select few that applies, but a very select few. You cannot decide to release a phone app with no original mechanics and art/assets and no serious financial investment in marketing/advertising, and believe you will be able to retire at 22.
You are not entitled to a shot at this 'get rich scheme' if you can't even do the bare minimum and design your own game. There are many ways to create amazing yet simplistic art with very minimal time (whether it be using a voxel system, graphic design, or repurposing flat colour), but you are not entitled to someone else's creation because you do not have the skillset to back up your own code. Being a game developer means you are a game designer also, you must be able to design mechanics for your platform, not just implement someone else's.
Make sure to give the Unpacking team a follow on Twitter, they definitely deserve it.