EGLS to 'modify some parts' of its iOS MMO in wake of Torchlight asset theft accusations
Chinese developer Entertainment Game Labs will remove "some parts" of its game, Armed Heroes Online, the company tells Joystiq. Those "parts," it sounds like, are the ones that Runic Games is saying were stolen from its Torchlight franchise. "Players always come first," EGLS said in a statement. "There, we prefer to modify some parts of Armed Heroes Online where have caused those disputes rather than go on arguing. As long as this carves out a way out of angry disputes, it will be definitely worth our efforts," the statement reads.
Despite the alterations coming to AHO, its developer sticks by the game, remaining defiant that any of Runic's Torchlight assets were used in the creation of its iOS MMO. "We want to make clear, if necessary, that we would like to submit the documents, files, and other materials related to the game developing to Apple to prove the originalities of the game and the efforts we devoted into the game developing," the statement says.
Runic Games president Travis Baldree contends that he's already looked through AHO's files, however, and that they're far more damning that EGLS wants to admit. "I also downloaded the app, and you can just unzip them and look at any iPhone app. And there was a sound manifest that listed all the sound files in the game, and they were verbatim all of our sound files, including our own misspellings," Baldree told us in an interview yesterday. "Our technical artist Adam Perin did voices for a sword called 'The Sword of Adam.' And it had goofy little things that he would say when you swung the sword. And those were in there [Armed Heroes Online], even in one of their videos," he said.
For Runic, this solution - should it actually play out - is exactly what Baldree was hoping would happen. "We're really just trying to get the thing pulled down from the App Store and to have them use their own assets. We were a little baffled by their initial response, and we'd be more than happy to talk to them and see what's up," he said. As of right now, Armed Heroes Online isn't available via the iTunes App Store, and it's seemingly been pulled by Apple following Runic's takedown request.
See the full statement from EGLS after the break.
Despite the alterations coming to AHO, its developer sticks by the game, remaining defiant that any of Runic's Torchlight assets were used in the creation of its iOS MMO. "We want to make clear, if necessary, that we would like to submit the documents, files, and other materials related to the game developing to Apple to prove the originalities of the game and the efforts we devoted into the game developing," the statement says.
Runic Games president Travis Baldree contends that he's already looked through AHO's files, however, and that they're far more damning that EGLS wants to admit. "I also downloaded the app, and you can just unzip them and look at any iPhone app. And there was a sound manifest that listed all the sound files in the game, and they were verbatim all of our sound files, including our own misspellings," Baldree told us in an interview yesterday. "Our technical artist Adam Perin did voices for a sword called 'The Sword of Adam.' And it had goofy little things that he would say when you swung the sword. And those were in there [Armed Heroes Online], even in one of their videos," he said.
For Runic, this solution - should it actually play out - is exactly what Baldree was hoping would happen. "We're really just trying to get the thing pulled down from the App Store and to have them use their own assets. We were a little baffled by their initial response, and we'd be more than happy to talk to them and see what's up," he said. As of right now, Armed Heroes Online isn't available via the iTunes App Store, and it's seemingly been pulled by Apple following Runic's takedown request.
See the full statement from EGLS after the break.
Related Posts:
