Joust, the motion-sensitive PlayStation move title, has competition in an iOS app. The makers have now clarified their policy on app clones, following controversy over the similarities between the apps.
"To be clear, we have never given anyone permission to make a derivative version of any of commercial products - existing or forthcoming. That said, the definition of "derivative" is elusive. We generally don't believe that game mechanics themselves can or should be copyright or otherwise protected," Die Gute Fabrik said on its official blog.
However, the studio has never requested another to pull a product which could be seen as a clone. Fabrik said it believes developers have to "decide for themselves what is "over the line" in terms of cloning vs innovation." The studio said it encourages developers to take inspiration from other games, admitting Joust was inspired by playground games.
The studio wasn't drawn on specific games cloning Joust, instead focusing on making quality products.
"That said, we do hope the community will continue to push back against cloning as a general development practice," Fabrik added.
Questions over when Joust will release have been answered. Along with the game being handed out as a reward for backing Kickstarter projects, the studio said it has been talking with publishers since December 2011 to distribute the game on "platforms" that the best fit the game. Papa Quash - the app which functions similarly to Joust - is available on iOS.
"Unfortunately, publisher negotiations involve iterative processes that take time ... Partnering with the right publisher and/or distributor will help us spread the word about J.S. Joust to players who otherwise might not get exposed to the game," Fabrik added.
The studio also said it hopes to make the game open source, so players can customize the game as Fabrik is "committed to giving back to the community." Talking with publishers means retaining IP rights, the studio said.
"We hope to develop a smart phone version of J.S. Joust in the future. We've already discussed some ideas about how we'd tailor the game to such a platform. But first, we want to make sure we explore all our options and do some more prototyping," Fabrik confirmed.
