The terrific rise and fall of Flappy Bird made it very tempting for every wannabe iOS game developer to create something similar and capitalize on Dong Nguyen’s viral game. But if you are thinking about jumping onto the bandwagon, think again. Read on to find out why it’s a bad idea.
First of all, you can’t use the word “flappy” in your app or game title anymore because both Apple’s App Store and Google Play started rejecting apps that have it in the title. So that vague opportunity is gone. But this is not the most important bit.
You see, being a copycat app developer ruins your reputation and doesn’t bring the cash you hope to see coming. Just think of it – when every Tom, Dick and Harry is releasing a game that repeats Flappy Birds, what are the chances of your flappy game to attract players and revenue? And even if creating a clone may bring you some short-term earnings, it will damage your chances of releasing a successful original game in the future. Everyone will remember you as a copycat.
Another reason why you should not create copycat mobile games is getting rejected by the App Store. The App Store has regulations and they are there for a good reason – to ensure that iPhone and iPad users get a good experience and high quality apps. When you are blatantly copying someone else’s game, you are tempting the App Store to reject your game. Moreover, there’s a good chance that the App Store will pay closer attention to your future submissions. So, if you don’t want that unnecessary attention that will lead to rejections, stay away from copying the work of others.
Remember that it’s a much better idea to invest your time and money into your own creative game idea and capitalize on that. The reward may not be immediate, but you would be a lot better off in the long run.
