My memory of the situation was that 2048 was a Web game, which took off among a large group of people that Threes didn't reach (people without iPhones, people who weren't going to pay for a small puzzle game, and people who just wanted to play a quick game on the Web).
And because it was open source and had an incredibly untrademarkable name, a bunch of app developers made mobile clones of it. I assume that Ketchapp was one of them and that the creator of 2048 was entirely uninvolved. Correct me if I'm wrong. It seems to me that the title should be "Some guys who cloned 2048 also cloned another game".
I'm dismayed that someone making a fun, free Web game and expecting nothing in return can turn into a symbol of evil cloning in the mobile game industry. Are we returning to the mindset where open source is seen as maliciously undercutting commercial software?
Great, but he should correct it in the post, so as not to bring innocent people into his scuffle.
I think better evidence is still needed to connect ketchapp and app cow, without that this could just be developers piling onto a simple mechanic + popular aesthetic.
Rule #1? Never show anything to anyone without a non-disclosure.
Media, games included, using the same sounds isn't unheard of. How many "bwwrrrrr" sounds have you heard in movie trailers? You know the one [0]. The typography is also different. Though the button colors and icon set are the same. How popular is that icon set though? I don't know enough about app dev. to judge on that.
I'll give my benefit of the doubt to the author because of [1] though. That gives off a bad smell - stolen game or not. Kudos for turning it into motivation to try and educate people and fix a problem.
[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=830I9w7I7wM
[1] Rejecting a game for concept then publishing that same concept.
Ketchapp just published it to the app store (maybe with some customizations).
The title is completely unfair to the original creator of 2048.
"Matt Akins is the founder of Tapped, an online community built around iOS game development education. Learn how to rapidly design, develop, and distribute iOS games without making the same mistakes he has like getting his game stolen by the assholes who cloned Threes."
In particular, he misattributed Ketchapp as the "2048 guys."
