Calling one game a clone of another is not a new phenomenon. There are over a dozen action RPGs falling under the apt moniker of Diablo clone, and single Warcraft 3 mod called Defense of the Ancients spawned an entire video gaming genre which is now one of the most popular in the world. It is rare those games copy textures, however, which is what Wargaming.net now accuses the developers of Project Tank of doing.
Making a game derivative of another is a part of being in the game development business. It is rare when a truly original idea comes along anymore, with as many games and books and movies and ideas as we have had bouncing around, especially with the internet to make the world so much smaller.
There’s still a logical limit to what is okay to copy, however.
Copying is evidenced by the fact that the designers of Project Tank copied historical inaccuracies found in WoT, each of which does not affect game play, but which was included in WoT to simplify the tank modeling and rendering process.
Okay, that sounds pretty bad, but it is theoretically possible they just happened upon the same shortcuts, right?
Copying is further evidenced by the fact that the designers of Project Tank copied tanks from WoT that never existed in real life, and which included features original to WoT.
All right, I feel it is pretty safe to say that seems a bit suspicious. No matter how obviously derivative a work is there is a certain amount of legitimacy to any claim one might make about it still being a unique and separate product right up until the things being copied include unique inaccuracies and specific fictional creations.
Wargaming.net also contends Project Tank copies a patented “dynamic battle session matchmaking system” thereby extending the claims against the companies behind Project Tank, Changyou.com and Gamease Age Digital Technology Co to include possibly blatant patent infringement.
I hope there is a reasonable explanation for all of it, because I hate to think of someone trying to rip off another person’s product this blatantly and completely. If it really is as cut and dry as Wargaming.net seems to think, though, I look forward to seeing justice served.
