Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Today we look at the controversy surrounding the game Threes! and the many inferior clones of that game that have appeared in the App Store. We start with a brief recap of the Threes! saga to bring those listeners who may not be familiar with the controversy up to date, then we discuss what the developers of Threes! could have been done to prevent this situation. We consider if a quality product is necessary for App Store success (Spoiler: No.), what we can do to give our own apps the best chance for success, and the culpability of the developer of 2048, the most notable of the Threes! clones. Finally, we talk about what Apple could have done to prevent this sort of rip-off, whether Apple is damaging its ecosystem by allowing cheap clones in its App Store, and what lessons other developers should take from this saga.
Show Notes & Links
- Threes!
- The Rip-offs & Making Our Original Game – The developers of Threes! show the evolution of Threes through emails, texts, and concept illustrations.
- Free Open Source Software and the 2048 Problem by Zach Gage – an exploration of the (ir)responsible use of open source
- Throwing K-Cups In Glass Houses by Marco Arment