Torchlight clone pulled from App Store, developer making changes

Torchlight clone Armed Heroes has been pulled from the App Store, after Runic Games complained to Apple. EGLS, the developer of the game, claims it is making some changes, but maintains its innocence.

19

Apple has pulled a Torchlight clone from the App Store, after Runic Games complained that it was using in-game assets from their title. Studio founder Travis Baldree accused the game, Armed Heroes, of using monsters, dungeons, voices, and sound effects directly from Torchlight.

"We're having to contact Apple about it, so, just a heads up - this may not be available for long," Baldree said.

Develop reports that EGLS, the Chinese company behind Armed Heroes, defended the game by claiming that they've made all the models and maps by hand. "Our team got inspirations from other brilliant games and movies, but had never straightly stole assets from Torchlight," said developer Serena Zhang. "What Mr. Travis Baldree said rudely depreciated the efforts our team had devoted into the game."

In a statement reported by Joystiq, EGLS says the recent controversy has brought "harm to our company's reputation" and upset players. It claims it will "modify some parts" of the game that have caused disputes rather than pressing the point with Apple, but says that if necessary, it would submit its internal documents to Apple to prove its case.

Editor-In-Chief
From The Chatty
  • reply
    July 20, 2012 11:30 AM

    Steve Watts posted a new article, Torchlight clone pulled from App Store, developer making changes.

    Torchlight clone Armed Heroes has been pulled from the App Store, after Runic Games complained to Apple. EGLS, the developer of the game, claims it is making some changes, but maintains its innocence.

    • reply
      July 20, 2012 12:00 PM

      I'm glad EGLS' game got pulled. It's pretty damning and just sucks all 'round for Runic.

      Also, EGLS' reputation is permanently damaged. There's no way that I, as a gamer, would ever trust anything the put out again.

      They basically have a huge hole to dig themselves out of.

      • reply
        July 20, 2012 12:48 PM

        I generally avoid games made in china for how cheap and shitty they are. Goes double for these stupid clowns.

        • Ebu legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
          reply
          July 20, 2012 3:22 PM

          I don't avoid them because they're cheap and shitty, I avoid them because I pretty much assume they're all password-stealing gold-farmers. It may seem xenophobic, but I've never been hacked and I intend to keep it that way!

          • reply
            July 20, 2012 5:24 PM

            Ur a xenhobe

            And besides torchlight dev is owned by the Chinese

            • reply
              July 20, 2012 5:25 PM

              Xenophobe

              Lovely tablet typos

    • reply
      July 20, 2012 12:13 PM

      In all fairness I'm pretty out of sync with the mobile gaming scene, but what reputation did EGLS have before this?

    • reply
      July 20, 2012 12:20 PM

      i dont care what their reputation is, but if you still game assets at least make sure you change the name of the assets ( runic games pointed out how they have assets with same misspelled names that torchlight 1 has). Also saying that stealing from tochlight is good because they stole ideas from D2 and Fate is stupid: 1 - Stealing is NEVER a good idea, 2 - Torchlight devs = same people that created D2 and Fate....

      over all this guys are VERY stupid!

      • reply
        July 20, 2012 12:25 PM

        I guess I don't understand. If you're good enough to clone a game, why steal assets from said game? Or why clone a game when you can just create your own original game. It's just lazy, I guess.

        • reply
          July 20, 2012 12:52 PM

          from what my buddy told me (I havent looked into it much personally) the coding of armed heroes is actually pretty solid, had they used their own assets it probably could have been a good/great game. What a shame if they had the talent and piss it away with this fiasco

    • reply
      July 20, 2012 3:33 PM

      Because China.

      • reply
        July 20, 2012 5:25 PM

        Generalize much?

        Front pager

        • reply
          July 20, 2012 5:44 PM

          *swoosh

        • Ebu legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
          reply
          July 20, 2012 6:18 PM

          You encounter a wild a White Knight!

          • reply
            July 20, 2012 11:12 PM



            Front pager

            Have I generalized enough?

            • ArB legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
              reply
              July 20, 2012 11:30 PM

              Chinaman.

              • ArB legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
                reply
                July 20, 2012 11:31 PM

                I probably shouldn't have posted this. Now I'm going to get in trouble. I like the food and factories of your people, and I admire your dentists.

                • reply
                  July 21, 2012 5:27 AM

                  Gold is plentiful! Thanks chinaman!

                • Ebu legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
                  reply
                  July 21, 2012 7:33 PM

                  They have the greatest general who ever lived, Tso!
                  When he died, did they lay him out on a bed of white rice?

                • reply
                  July 23, 2012 10:15 PM

                  Heh internet tough.

                  You're not talking to me cus this is the internet. If this were for real you'd be getting dentures from "my dentists."

                  • ArB legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
                    reply
                    July 24, 2012 1:26 AM

                    Now who is internet tough? You're talking about knocking my teeth out! I was admitting that I shouldn't have said it.

                    Godhatesfatpeople's post was a reference to a thread a few days ago, where some Chinese company was doing some shady stuff. I don't recall the thread, but it was made as a joke then, and it is a joke in this thread too. I can't find the damn thread..

                    Anyway, sorry for the racist comment. I say stupid things mostly.

                    Get a thicker skin, because internet people are dicks. But you know what? Most of the people here are are just joking around and it's not meant in a malicious way. That kind of hateful shit gets deleted by the mods pretty quickly.

                    • reply
                      July 26, 2012 12:15 AM

                      Actually, I'm tough in real life.

                      cus I deal with shit like this from people even more racist than you

                      • ArB legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
                        reply
                        July 26, 2012 12:54 AM

                        I'm not racist at all.

                        Maybe lighten up, tough guy.

                        • reply
                          July 28, 2012 8:09 AM

                          It's not what you think, it's what you do ya racist.

                          One good thing about shack is the comments stay around. Try looking up.

              • reply
                July 23, 2012 10:19 PM

                Wooooo racial epitaph and stereotypes.

                I am so screwed, cus, you know, I'm afraid of that!! D:

Hello, Meet Lola