Threes!: about plagiarism and the evolution of ideas

Puzzle Threes! it appeared in the App Store in early February (now the game is in the top ten of the paid top of the US App Store). Less than a month has passed, and projects have appeared on the market that almost exactly copy its game mechanics.

Among the first clones was the free 2048, which, according to Distimo, now dominates downloads worldwide. This state of affairs did not leave indifferent the authors of Threes!, who spoke with an open letter.

Together with them, we would like to share our thoughts on simple mechanics, plagiarism and the evolution of ideas.

So what’s bothering developers? 

Obviously, the financial aspect, because it is very difficult to sell such a game for a long time (the simpler and more successful – the less time available). A wounded sense of the creator’s pride – the speed of copying a good idea is such that players cannot realize its authorship (the creators of Threes are offended when Threes is called a clone of 2048). There is also a feeling of jealousy when someone “perfects” an already “ideal” idea born in agony.

What should a developer of great and simple games do?

Certainly do not count on the nobility of colleagues in the shop. If you have money and no conscience, you can try to patent every detail of your game (hello, candy monopolist King). 

But here a new question arises: where should the line between plagiarism and the evolution of an idea go at all? And how to share good solutions with the world and not be left with an empty wallet?

The market has long ago found the answer to this question: free-2-play. 

To creative natures, free-2-play may seem ugly, but in fact it is by far the most adapted to the threats of the external environment model. 

But if the phrase “IAP” makes you sick, if you don’t want to “kill” the game market with “soulless, carbon-copy farms”, you have to decide for yourself what is more important to you personally: self-expression or financial performance?