Yoink! Adventure game reuses Oblivion's graphics
When you play a lot of video games as we do, they can tend to feel a little same-y after a while. But Majestic Studios may just have just pushed past Homageville and straight into Lawsuitburg with Limbo of the Lost, which appears to have lifted many of its background graphics directly from Bethesda's Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. No, it's not in a "Hey, this game looks like Oblivion" way. It's more like "Hey, why are you seizing my copy of the game as evidence?" GamePlasma has the image above and many, many more examples.
What's nuttier is that this game has actually been around for a while. It was originally released in Asia way back in November of 2007, though it's just now getting a North American release. It's criminal, but it's also kind of inspiring. Apparently, if you dream of making games, all you have to do is find another game, and then make up a guy to put in that game and then sell it. If we weren't so busy liquidating our stock in Majestic Studios we'd be slow clapping.
(Oh, and just so you know, Bethesda tells us they don't have a comment and Majestic's email address doesn't work..)
Update: No one is safe from Limbo! It seems the game also stole an environment from Eidos' Thief: Deadly Shadows.
Update 2: Just heard back from U.S. publisher Tri Synergy who tells us that the similarity between the two is "striking" but "We're just as shocked as anybody else and we've put a line in to Majestic. We had no idea that any of this had been in the game and things would have been different had we known." They're still exploring it though, so we hope we'll hear more soon.
[Thanks Michael]
What's nuttier is that this game has actually been around for a while. It was originally released in Asia way back in November of 2007, though it's just now getting a North American release. It's criminal, but it's also kind of inspiring. Apparently, if you dream of making games, all you have to do is find another game, and then make up a guy to put in that game and then sell it. If we weren't so busy liquidating our stock in Majestic Studios we'd be slow clapping.
(Oh, and just so you know, Bethesda tells us they don't have a comment and Majestic's email address doesn't work..)
Update: No one is safe from Limbo! It seems the game also stole an environment from Eidos' Thief: Deadly Shadows.
Update 2: Just heard back from U.S. publisher Tri Synergy who tells us that the similarity between the two is "striking" but "We're just as shocked as anybody else and we've put a line in to Majestic. We had no idea that any of this had been in the game and things would have been different had we known." They're still exploring it though, so we hope we'll hear more soon.
[Thanks Michael]











Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Imadogg @ Jun 11th 2008 9:38AM
hahahhaa
awesome
Turkish Superman @ Jun 11th 2008 1:52PM
How is stealing someone else's work and trying to profit from it awesome?
mike_p @ Jun 11th 2008 5:25PM
Don't be so serious. I'm sure he doesn't mean it's literally AWESOME.
It ain't ... but seriously, how could they have pulled this off for this long without getting some kind of [negative] attention.
venk @ Jun 11th 2008 9:42AM
hahahahhaha...thats awesome!
copa @ Jun 11th 2008 9:47AM
hahahaha
so awesome!
Deric Lee @ Jun 11th 2008 9:57AM
So this american publisher sounds pretty dumb, they are going to get the brunt of the law suite.
Almost seems they got...scammed?
Justin McElroy @ Jun 11th 2008 9:57AM
Yeah, I'm betting that's what happened Deric.
JonFitt @ Jun 11th 2008 10:59AM
Does the law suite have a jacuzzi, and ocean views? If so, I'll take the brunt.
Pureshooter @ Jun 11th 2008 12:28PM
Don't be silly. He's clearly referring to some sort of legal themed musical composition. Perhaps the opening to Law & Order?
Intentless @ Jun 11th 2008 9:58AM
So they reused the graphical content or did they do as the post insinuates and literaly just replace the main character and throw him into oblivion?
Obie @ Jun 11th 2008 9:59AM
Wow, how the hell did they think they would get away with this?
HOBBER @ Jun 11th 2008 10:02AM
Maybe Bethesda let them...maybe
NATO_Duke @ Jun 11th 2008 10:04AM
Just wow.
Brent @ Jun 11th 2008 10:05AM
Maybe this game was in production first and Bethesda stole from them!
Pandar @ Jun 11th 2008 10:07AM
That seems the most plausible reason LOL!!!
playwhutyalike @ Jun 11th 2008 10:10AM
Now THAT's a lazy ass developer.
Anonymous @ Jun 11th 2008 10:11AM
Imitation is the sincerest form of intellectual theft.
Ghostbuddy @ Jun 11th 2008 10:24AM
This is by far the most pathetic thing I have EVER seen on this site.
This game is basically, a terrible player mod for Oblivion. Only they actually sold the game in Japan, and are trying to sell it here.
Make an example of them. Don't let other developers think they can get away with this. Sue them into oblivion.
ApolloIV @ Jun 11th 2008 11:27AM
I see what you did there.
theberlindoctor @ Jun 11th 2008 10:25AM
This a big problem in all aspects of the industry, but especially Indie developers. I work with a small indie developer who got some notoriety for a free game we made a while back, Strange Attractors. We've been working on the sequel for over a year now, a commercial product we're shopping to various digital distribution avenues.
We found out a number of them were also looking at another game that had such a striking resemblance, both graphically and gameplay wise to our own. So much so, I consider it very nearly a direct ripoff.
Copycatting, stealing ideas and assets is much more prevalent than you think and its very disheartening to think someone can just steal your ideas and style and then shop it in the same market as you are trying to compete, especially if your a weekend indie developer and not EA or Bethesda.
Sir Fidlious Wong (Justin T. McElroy Memorial Burn of the Day Award) @ Jun 11th 2008 10:43AM
Ideas are intangible and the IDEA that you're the only one who can reach this conclusion is a common misconception. I don't support the direct ripping off of a game design however if two people create an open world game with super heroes, I don't consider it a ripoff of each other.
Assets, however, are a different story and the main reason why I pulled several of my free "learning aide" assets off of Turbosquid. Mainly I saw this item...
http://sheppyboy2000.deviantart.com/art/Mobile-Artillery-Unit-Crableg-39984064
Show up in a Korean MMO RTS colored red and renamed a Stabber Starkiller. They of course removed the item from the Beta once I alerted them. But to this day, another company sells this piece of my artwork...
http://sheppyboy2000.deviantart.com/art/Light-It-Up-17525642
... on Pencil Boards. That I don't mind so much since I really can't do anything. After all, I was dicking around with someone else's registered trademarks.
theberlindoctor @ Jun 11th 2008 10:57AM
"Ideas are intangible and the IDEA that you're the only one who can reach this conclusion is a common misconception."
This has nothing to do with what I stated. There is no misconception when another company creates a game that is nearly identical to yours with minor tweaks. Legal? Maybe. Deplorable? Absolutely.
Bho410 @ Jun 11th 2008 10:27AM
Uhm...doesn't anyone remember Super Mario Bros 2...oh I mean Doki Doki Panic
Deric Lee @ Jun 11th 2008 10:46AM
Yeah, but Nintendo already owned that property, they just retooled it to better fit american tastes.
So it's not a rip off, just a re-styling....kinda like the Pontiac Vibe(Toyota Matrix)
arrakisman @ Jun 11th 2008 12:23PM
does Count Skingrad know that his castle is being use when hes sleeping in is coffin during the day.
born2kill @ Jun 11th 2008 1:04PM
How do you know Oblivion didnt ripoff Yoink's Adventure?? Wait till you get an actual response before you jump to conclusions and start soiling their good name dammit!
Tyler Jones @ Jun 11th 2008 1:11PM
Oblivion was released first, was in development for over 4 years before its release, and used Bethsadas custom made, in house graphics engine. Highly unlikely
born2kill @ Jun 11th 2008 1:47PM
Right but my point was that for gaming media sites to call them theives and start this uproar, before getting any official word, is highly unprofessional. Their job is to report the facts and leave the speculating to us.
dub @ Jun 11th 2008 8:07PM
Well since they also ripped off an environment from Thief as well, it's starting to look like a given.
Pureshooter @ Jun 11th 2008 1:19PM
I can't believe they even stole the area rug. It really held the room together.
Cyber-Tyrant @ Jun 11th 2008 1:52PM
STOP RIGHT THERE CRIMINAL SCUM!
No one breaks the law on my watch! I'm confiscating your stolen goods. Now pay the fine, or it's off to jail!
TrojanGuy @ Jun 11th 2008 2:23PM
lol wow that's bad.
america head charge @ Jun 11th 2008 3:46PM
You mean Limbo of the Lost isn't an expansion? I've been deceived!
Mutagenaric @ Jun 11th 2008 4:31PM
Nobody said they were thieves, just that they completely ripped Oblivion resources to make their game. People have been stealing resources from Bethesda a lot recently. First Al Qaeda, now this Majestic company... Poor them.