When games get popular on the Play Store, companies often try to copy their formula for success. But perhaps none have done it quite so blatantly as what's happening in the case of WorldBox, a game that indie developer Maxim Karpenko had been working for more than eight years when he discovered it was in the process of being stolen right out from under his nose.

It started when a suspicious man in a suit approached Maxim during DevGamm 2019. He expressed interest in buying the game outright, but was turned down. For months afterwards, the man continued to reach out with new offers that Maxim denied, as he preferred to handle his creation himself. The solo developer thought that would be the end of it — until he uncovered a plot underway to steal WorldBox from him entirely.

Someone alerted him on Discord about a copy of the game that had been published on the Play Store. Indeed, "God Simulator - Sandbox Mod & Open World" looks like a shameless rip-off of WorldBox. And what's even more suspicious is that the publisher of the clone, Stavrio LTD, straight up called it WorldBox in the app ID. What's more, when Maxim investigated the company, he found that it traced back to the same man who had been pestering him to sell the game ever since they met at DevGamm.

Left: WorldBox Right: Stavrio's clone

Through this Stavrio shell company, trademarks had been filed for the WorldBox name in many countries worldwide, including the US. Apparently, this isn't the first time indie developers have been targeted by this group. They look for engaging games that aren't too difficult to copy, and then publish clones while filing for trademarks on the original game's title. Once that's obtained, they could even get the original version kicked off app stores for infringement.

Stavrio has filed trademarks for the WorldBox name all over the world.

Luckily, this is all out in the open now that Maxim has gone public with proof of the plot. He hopes it can serve as a warning to other indie developers, and is working with lawyers to protect WorldBox. As of right now, Stavrio's blatant clone remains available for download on the Play Store, but now that the story is starting to gain more traction, it may not remain for much longer.

WorldBox, on the other hand, should be safe and sound thanks to this detective work. If you're curious about the game this mysterious meddling aimed to conquer, it's available for download at the link below.

Source: u/Kendja