IGF finalist accuses iOS dev of IP theft

One and One Story creator claims assets, design from free puzzle-platforming Flash game used without his consent in "HD" mobile game version on Apple's store.

The Independent Games Festival Student Showcase award-winning puzzle platformer One and One Story has appeared on iTunes, but developer Mattia Traverso did not put it there. In a flurry of Twitter posts today, the 18-year-old designer accused Afoli, JSC. of stealing the art assets and design from his free Flash game and using them to create an "HD" version that's since been uploaded to iTunes.

Traverso's One and One Story has been available to play for free through various Flash game websites since last year, and the developer said he planned to port it to the iOS. Afoli's "One and One Story HD" has been available for purchase via iTunes since Wednesday for 99 cents.

Traverso claims he has attempted to contact Apple multiple times regarding the issue, but the company has been unresponsive. The developer is seeking to have the game removed from iTunes via a Digital Millennium Copyright Act filing.

"The game is exactly the same, but done worse," Traverso said of One and One Story HD in one Twitter update. "It was coded from scratch," he said in another, and "The assets were stolen… And stretched" in yet another. A Twitter user asked Traverso if he put an encryption on the game's code before releasing it, and he indicated that he had not.

Afoli appears to be a mobile developer of Vietnamese origin, based on a website bearing its name. The company currently offers a number of "HD" remakes of erstwhile free Flash games, including Gold Mine Ultimate HD, Crow in Hell HD, and Mushroom Farm Defense HD. However, it is unclear at present whether Afoli has the legitimate rights to sell these games on the App store. Afoli had not responded to GameSpot's request for comment as of press time.

One and One Story was a winner at the 14th Annual Independent Games Festival awards show at last week's Game Developers Conference. It is a puzzle platformer that was built by Traverso while studying at Liceo scientifico G. B. Morgagni.

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"IGF finalist accuses iOS dev of IP theft" was posted by Tom Magrino, Eddie Makuch on Fri, 16 Mar 2012 14:27:41 -0700
Filed under: Video Games

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