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Copycat iPhone game of the day: Fruit Slayer looks suspiciously like Halfbrick's Fruit Ninja

'If halfbrick will ask me to remove the app, I will'

Copycat iPhone game of the day: Fruit Slayer looks suspiciously like Halfbrick's Fruit Ninja
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| Fruit Slayer

A number of App Store plagiarism cases hit the headlines in January. 'Splosion Man developer Twisted Pixel called out Capcom for its 'homage' MaXplosion, while Doodle Jump developer Lima Sky (briefly) set its lawyers on developers of games with 'doodle' in their titles.

Apparently undaunted by the threat of bad press and litigation, developer Robert Neagu has brought Fruit Slayer to iPhone. Yes - it looks uncannily like Halfbrick's casual hit Fruit Ninja.

The game stands you firmly in front of an onslaught of flying fruit, armed only with a sword. You have to time swipes on the touchscreen in order to slice the offending groceries as they fly by.

Of course, it's not the first Fruit Ninja copycat out there. Quantum Squid's Veggie Samurai already lifted the food-slicing formula last year - to good effect, it has to be said.

Can Neagu expect a takedown notice? Read Pocket Gamer's guide to video game copyright law to find out.

We contacted Robert Neagu for comment:

"Well, i used their game mechanics but i added a few changes to it. Mostly things i would want in Fruit Ninja. So, yes, it's deliberate. I know that this is not really a good thing to do but I don't consider myself a competitor to FruitNinja. It's just my version of their application. I'll try to add more stuff in that would differentiate the 2 apps more than it does now.

"If halfbrick will ask me to remove the app, I will. They did not pressure VeggieSamurai (which is a ripoff also) to do so. Anyway, I am playing my chance... I'm just one developer that coded the app in my spare time, looking for a few buys in the store. Nothing less, nothing more...

"I made this because I'm such a huge fan of this game. This is my version for the world."

Richard Meads
Richard Meads
New intern Rich has been blessed with far, far too much free time and an overwhelming desire to jump on things. He tried doing the jumping in public, but people got scared. A lifelong addiction to platform games and a degree in creative writing later, he found his way to Pocket Gamer’s doorstep.