Apple rejects Yoot Saito's iPhone game, dev staff considered Seaman DS
We're more than willing to give Apple's do-everything-device the benefit of the doubt if they want to try to make it a legitimate gaming platform, but when we hear a story like this, we can't help but develop a few hangups. Yoot Saito, developer of the unsettling/brilliant Seaman, recently wrote a blog post describing the fate of his in-development iPhone game, GABO (a spiritual successor to Seaman, but with a caveman instead of a manfish). That fate is unfortunately grim -- according to Saito, Apple gave the game the axe due to "unpleasant" gameplay.
He also mentions that the game's development staff had considered going to work on Seaman DS before working on GABO. We'd like to know how much money they'd need to follow through with this ambition, as well as the mailing address to where we should send said funds.
[Via Offworld, Translation via Kotaku]
He also mentions that the game's development staff had considered going to work on Seaman DS before working on GABO. We'd like to know how much money they'd need to follow through with this ambition, as well as the mailing address to where we should send said funds.
[Via Offworld, Translation via Kotaku]












Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
copa @ Jan 18th 2009 2:25PM
Interesting new business model. So will Apple now remove all 'unpleasant' music from the iTunes store?
kavendano14 @ Jan 18th 2009 2:36PM
remove 99% of their library? What!?
jeff @ Jan 18th 2009 3:56PM
And what is so pleasant about the 7 fart apps they have available.
shane86 @ Jan 18th 2009 2:27PM
That game always creeped me out.
Linkario @ Jan 18th 2009 6:48PM
I know what your thinking... "here comes old greg, he's a scaley man-fish". You don't know me, you don't know what I got. I got a man-gina.
mr nimblewick @ Jan 18th 2009 2:39PM
I would buy a Seaman sequel on DS.
One of my favorite gaming memories is when I had a friend over and we were checking out the newborn Seamans in the DC version. He kept on telling them they were stupid, then one came right up to the screen and said "Stupid, stupid." He was hooked from that point on.
slycooper_rocker [psn:slycooper_rocker] @ Jan 18th 2009 5:56PM
i'm pretty sure it would be "seamen"
micklol @ Jan 18th 2009 2:40PM
....as if we don't have enough censorship on games already.
very disappointed...
VaultICEE @ Jan 18th 2009 2:43PM
Good job, Apple...
You let apps that play generic fart noises right on through, but you can't accept a game about cavemen?
Wow, guys.
Ordeith @ Jan 18th 2009 3:49PM
They saw all the trouble Geico got into and wanted to avoid it.
Doug @ Jan 18th 2009 6:58PM
I just saved 15% on my car insurance, I was hoping to use that to buy this game. Stupid apples.
sinai @ Jan 18th 2009 2:48PM
screw you apple!
Ethan @ Jan 18th 2009 2:59PM
Do apps not have ratings or something?
john paul @ Jan 18th 2009 4:10PM
The funny thing is that they do have rating.
St.McDuck @ Jan 18th 2009 3:04PM
Because I'm not having a hard enough time finding quality games for my ipod touch...
This is redonkulous. Take a serious look at the games available for the iphone/ipod touch and tell me any of those games come close to the quality of any portable game on the original Gameboy (or any newer portable systems from Ninty or Sony for that matter).
Maybe Team Ico can get a game rejected from Apple someday. And then Miyamoto. And of course Kojima.
Let's all get games rejected by Apple! Huzzah!
bvhj @ Jan 18th 2009 4:57PM
It's just a good job the iPhone isn't a games console, huh?
DeoWulf @ Jan 18th 2009 8:13PM
It could be like a coming-of-age ritual for new developers. They could put it on their resume.
MBO @ Jan 18th 2009 3:10PM
well, most of the games in the app store are HIGHLY unenjoyable and unrewarding.
Kevlar @ Jan 18th 2009 6:01PM
Try Rolando. That game is VERY enjoyable, and the most rewarding game I've found on the App Store to date.
mike @ Jan 19th 2009 12:16AM
well obviously, with like 5,000 game titles, and 15,000 total Apps the MAJORITY of anything is going to be total shit. But you can easily find the stars on TouchArcade.com.
I'm sorry, but when a company that's trying to basically screen for porn and swearing words tells the games developer "this game is fucking boring" I think it's hilarious. The Developer needs to unplug the computer and get some sun. This game looks weird as hell and boring, if not twisted and depressing.
Moptimus Slime (Leader of the Ryan Scott Defense Force, A Wurr? My Burr) @ Jan 18th 2009 3:16PM
Seaman on DS- like "Hey you Pikachu" but not totally broken
Deck @ Jan 18th 2009 3:29PM
Wow this is ridiculous and pathetic. Bad decision apple, bad decision.
aj @ Jan 18th 2009 3:30PM
I was just saying the other day that Seaman DS would be awesome. It seems that my friends were right when they called me a moron. *tear*
WRE @ Jan 18th 2009 4:41PM
Remember AJ, whenever your friends call you a moron, they're right.
aj @ Jan 18th 2009 5:57PM
Usually they are wrong, though, since I am the smart one in my group.
Granted, it is pretty sad that I am considered the "smart one", but that just goes to show you the people we're talking about here.
Levi @ Jan 18th 2009 10:36PM
You need new friends.
However, If I told my friends that Seaman on the DS would be a good idea, I'd get blank stares because none of them play video games.
CubeGuy @ Jan 18th 2009 3:33PM
This just in: MGS Touch rejected due to "violent gameplay".
Shinchi @ Jan 18th 2009 4:02PM
Yeh, lets not forget about the $1000 iPhone app that added a picture of a diamond to the screen. It's purpose was of course to show your status. And then there is the $800 app for keeping track of your accounts. Then of course the MASSIVE number of totally crap and unfinished games on there. Yet, this one got rejected. They seem to have some sort of vendetta against this guy maybe.
ittybittygirl @ Jan 18th 2009 4:28PM
I'm conflicted. On one hand, Yoot Saito is a god. On the other, I've been an Apple fangirl my entire life.
Dammit Apple! If this man created an App that bricked every iPhone/Touch in existence without even downloading it, you best be letting it on the App Store! A Pox on Apple... !
Chances of ever seeing Sim/YOOT/The Tower on the App Store, just shot to hell!
Dustin @ Jan 18th 2009 11:26PM
The solution is simple. Stop being an Apple fan girl.
The world will like you better.
ittybittygirl @ Jan 19th 2009 8:45AM
Oh Snap!
The difference is, I don't let my preference for Mac OS and ye olde Apple ][ get the best of me. Whereas you should really lay off the douche-baggery, it's consuming you.
Did you even read past "Apple fangirl" or did it so provoke you that Yutaka Saito's precedence completely escaped?
Papytendo @ Jan 18th 2009 4:44PM
Seaman DS?
*Giggles*
the_insider @ Jan 18th 2009 4:54PM
THIS is exactly why Apple sucks big time. It doesn't matter how nice their overpriced hardware looks or how stable their OS is. At the end of the day they are just a bunch of arrogant twats spitting in their loyal customer's faces and telling the that they should be happy that they got to gobble up their saliva... Even though microsoft has it's own set of issues at least they let you do what YOU want to with their software. If my iPhone wasn't jailbroken I would have gotten fed up with it a long time ago... Maybe we'll see Gabo on Cydia?
Sol @ Jan 18th 2009 5:06PM
Are Apple insane?! A Seaman game would be perfect for the iPhone; who would not love to torture that little bastard caveman by shaking their iPhone or pocking him with the touch screen? Apple should not reject creators like Yoot Saito if they want the iPhone and iPod Touch to be taken seriously as a games platform.
ill trooper @ Jan 19th 2009 12:18AM
It's already a successful gaming platform. This won't slow or stop anything, as much as so many people here want it to.
Strategy_Panda (The Sandwich Poisoning Crew) @ Jan 18th 2009 5:25PM
Probably got rejected because of the dangling penis the character has
Phillip @ Jan 18th 2009 8:27PM
And here I thought Apple never did anything wrong....
Bones3D @ Jan 18th 2009 9:05PM
Wow... you know, from day one I've wanted to see a DS version of Seaman, especially since Nintendogs first arrived on the scene.
Likewise, I'm amazed Nintendo has yet to merge Nintendogs with the Pokémon series to allow users to personally "train" their Pokémon versus the more static methods of training. It'd make the game experience much more flexible and closer to that of the cartoons. Going the Nintendogs route would even allow trained moves to be layered into a single, more complex move during gameplay.
Justin McElroy @ Jan 18th 2009 9:34PM
Yay, I get to be a rabid fanboy!
Fuck this, fuck Apple, this is fucking bullshit. I'd like to shove my fist down Jobs' skeletal throat and eat his heart.
Sol @ Jan 19th 2009 12:45AM
Justin, you would not make it past two steps within the Reality Distortion Field before Jobs convinced you that Seaman is a terrible game idea and what you really want to do is eat a laser-comb.
Levi @ Jan 18th 2009 10:38PM
Cut loose on the fanboyism more often. It's surprisingly entertaining to see Joystiq bloggers getting in on the fanboy hate.
ill trooper @ Jan 19th 2009 12:22AM
Ha, funny. Like you guys would have even mentioned the game's release if it had actually been accepted.
Add an iPhone/Touch section, Joystiq. It's due.
JoeTheBlow @ Jan 19th 2009 4:59AM
Christ Justin, thats a nice mental image.
Justin McElroy @ Jan 19th 2009 9:01AM
The fanboyism continues!
ill trooper, please to fondle my sack:
http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/28/yoot-saito-working-on-seaman-related-game-for-iphone/
ill trooper @ Jan 19th 2009 11:07AM
Oh, Justin... You're sidestepping the point: you posted about the development but I really doubt you'd follow through and talk about the game if it ever comes out on the iPhone platform.
You guys have a very shoddy record for covering gaming on the device, despite the number of great games coming out every month. Normally you only mention it if Apple has had some developer's conference where they announce it's a good platform for gaming, which you immediately take issue with, and run it past the peanut gallery, where we see a bunch of comments about how stupid Apple is, how stupid the iPhone is, or 'look at teh pippenz.' Everyone has their opinions, I can't be mad at that, but you rarely give any exposure to final releases or small dev's games.
Speaking on fanboying it... Sure, I am an Apple fan, but I don't let it stop me from getting an Xbox or checking out other things. My level of fanboyism would certainly not, for instance, prevent me from writing about some good gaming experiences on my gaming blog if I worked at one.
My call is for you guys to have a weekly column on the games coming out for the iPhone/touch platform. The indy devs could benefit from the exposure, and we the people could hear about new games, like we do for other platforms like the PSP or the DS. I'd offer to do it but I don't have the discipline that you guys have for writing this blog nor the time. So I hope that you guys will start.
Until then, I'd recommend to all curious parties the site www.toucharcade.com, a site that puts in a lot of work to talk about the games on the iPhone/Touch platform, rather than scoff at it like scared luddites.
Justin McElroy @ Jan 19th 2009 11:10AM
God do I ever hate it when you guys have a point. We'll kick some ideas around, ill.
rokobungi @ Jan 18th 2009 10:24PM
seaman DS? ok... but only if they fix the damn thermostat on the seaman aquarium.
Levi @ Jan 18th 2009 10:40PM
I'd be surprised to see a Seaman game on any Nintendo console. Don't you all remember how well Odama turned out?
time @ Jan 18th 2009 11:29PM
...
if apple wants the ipods to be seen as gaming devices, they have to let all kinds of games through.
bad move.
Burns11 @ Jan 18th 2009 11:35PM
Just a small note, Seaman 2 featured the Peking Man (caveman as you call it) as well.