Sure, it looks like Oblivion - but this is actually Majestic's Limbo of The Lost.
Borrowing, expanding or adapting ideas from other already existing games? That, we can understand. It's natural for a creative industry to share ideas and try new things by changing old things. Even games like
Metal Gear Solid 4, which everyone think is new and massively innovative, is standing on the shoulders of games like
Thief and
Hunter.
Stealing whole sections of a game and blatantly using them to replace your own content? That's a bit risky. And illegal.
Yet, it
appears that that is what Majestic Studios has done with it's point and click adventure game
Limbo of The Lost, which appears to have lifted settings from Bethesda's
Oblivion and
Morrowind games, as well as
Thief: Deadly Shadows and
Silent Hill.
The funny thing is though that the game has actually been around for a while and was originally released in Asia during November last year, though the game is only now getting a North American release through publisher Tri Synergy.
Limbo of The Lost is now in a fair ol' heap of trouble, obviously. The US publisher for the game has announced that it is dropping the title and that it had no idea of the problems, while Bethesda is bring the lawyers out to tear the game to shreds.
Have you ever copied someone elses work or cheated on a test? Let us know in
the forums - we promise we won't write a newspost about it.
...
Anyway, didn't we have this furore with Stalker with respect to Doom 3?
Yes, but it turned out the assets were public ones that both games had legitmatly purchased and used. They were really boring things like light textures, so fair enough. This is a bit more serious though.
Whilst I've never done anything so totally blatent, when I used to make maps for Quake 3 and Doom 3, every single one of my ideas was based on something that already existed, I just found it easier, lol.
they are in heaps and heaps of trouble.
i believe that's called creative re-licensing - every artist and designer does it.
Went and found out more about this after I posted, and... wow... they've ripped stuff out of loads of games... I think that dev house is going to die due to sheer pressure of litigation. Or will they find a scapegoat to blame all of it on?
Wrong on two levels.
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=1903
I think they also stole the cursor from somewhere XD
MSX2 was the first one, June or July of 1987, NES did see it in December, though.
On topic: Yeah, I've cheated in a test. But I balanced that out by falling asleep in one, passing out in another, and outright not going to another one.
Looks like Nosteratu has made an appearance in the game.
I'm actually going to make a formal complaint to commence legal action as I believe the cursor used is actually derived from my work!!
http://www.play.com/Games/PC/4-/877345/-/Product.html?searchstring=Limbo+Of+The+Lost&searchsource=0
Got to say that the game trailers dont do it any justice, the game looks pants even though it has cheated and ripped people off.
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/34863.html
Limbo Of The Lost
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/images/june08/limbo1-limbo.jpg
Oblivion
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/images/june08/limbo1-oblivion.jpg
Erm ... Bring"ing" maybe? :P
Why re-invent the wheel when you can steal Fred's Flintstonemobile when he isn't looking.
On a side note, wouldn't they also get in trouble for de-compiling the other programs to tear out the textures and objects?
It seems it uses 2D backdrops, so they've basically just gone around using screenshots from other games instead of making there own (and drawing over them slightly here and there)
This can't be a real game. It must be a hoax. But it isn't.
Gordon: So have any more recent games influenced your current project?
Steve: The project is more influenced by film and literature rather than other games, we want the experience to be as original as possible and as such we have made a calculated effort to keep away from other games in the genre. Limbo of the Lost is an experience first and foremost, secondly wrapped up in a game media and genre.
http://www.quandaryland.com/jsp/dispArticle.jsp?index=795
Just doing some google searches on the 'level designer'
Just looking at other threads on the internet, there is a good one here: http://www.ga-forum.com/showthread.php?t=310683 where they are dissecting it and virtually everything is ripped from somewhere or other, people are even speculating it's a hoax..