Capcom "saddened" by MaXplosion furore

By Fred Dutton Published 13 January, 2011

Hopes "to rebuild the trust of our fans".

Capcom has responded to the uproar surrounding the similarities between its forthcoming iPhone game MaXplosion and Twisted Pixel's 2009 Xbox Live Arcade platformer 'Splosion Man, insisting it's "saddened" by the situation.

Yesterday, Twisted Pixel programmer Mike Henry dubbed Capcom's title, which sees you controlling a character by making him explode, "complete theft".

The studio co-founder Michael Wilford later Tweeted, "Best part is, we originally pitched @Splosion_Man to Capcom and they said no."

In response, a statement from Capcom Mobile released to Eurogamer today read:

"While Twisted Pixel did have discussions with our console game team about publishing 'Splosion Man' on game consoles, Capcom Mobile is a different division of Capcom with separate offices and as such, had no prior knowledge of any meetings between the console game team and Twisted Pixel.

"'MaXplosion' was developed independently by Capcom Mobile. Nonetheless, we are saddened by this situation and hope to rebuild the trust of our fans and friends in the gaming community."

Twisted Pixel has ruled out a lawsuit against Capcom, despite the obvious similarities between the two games.

"We're definitely not going to pursue legal action," explained a statement from Wilford.

"While I think the similarities are pretty nauseating, we're too small to take on a company like Capcom. That, and we owe them one for inventing Mega Man, so we'll let them slide. I just hope they're not counting on the fact that indies can't fight back.

"In general, anything that would take our focus off of making games would be a bad decision, I think. We just need to keep our heads down making the next thing so that Capcom has something to steal next year. But I have to say, the amount of support we've seen in the last 12 hours on Twitter and over email has been awesome, and I think that's better than winning a stupid lawsuit or anything like that.

"We'll just have to make our own mobile game and I'm hopeful that Capcom will see that robbing our shit wasn't worth it in the long run. We'll let you know when we have something on the mobile front to talk about, but now we have added incentive!"

In case you missed it, here's that MaXplosion clip again.

Picture of Fred.

About Fred Dutton

Fred Dutton is Eurogamer's US news editor, based in Washington DC.

Read more articles from Fred by visiting the Fred Dutton archive page.

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Comments (50) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Eraysor #1 1 year ago

    I really think they should sue Capcom; they may be a small company but it still gives Capcom no right to simply reuse other people's ideas.

  • Vice.Destroyer #2 1 year ago

    First time seeing the clip. The guys from TP called it right. That is outrageous. Sort of like the difference between Super Mario Bros and The Great Giana Sisters.

    /showing his age, but if you young ones didn't know, check out the link.

  • Gearskin #3 1 year ago

    Damn... it looks the same but just not as good! But I like Capcom more than I like Twisted Pixel :p

  • GrandpaUlrira #4 1 year ago

    Other than the obvious similarities with the explosions, it's difficult to see what's particularly original about Maxplosion, to the point where it's more like a ripoff of old 16-bit platformers, just looking a bit more shit. Capcom stuff on the SNES looked better than this.

  • SpaceMidget75 Verified Senior Software Developer, Minerva Computer Services #5 1 year ago

    This is fucking disgusting.

    I'm pretty sure Capcom wouldn't extend to them the same courtesy!

    In fact they should do a Android clone of Megaman and see what Capcom have to say then...

  • MojoDex #6 1 year ago

    it's not even subtle! it's a blatant rip off if ever i saw one...

  • Vyggo #7 1 year ago

    That reminds me, I recently bought Splosion Man but hardly played it..

  • siro #8 1 year ago

    You know, if Capcom is all so saddened by this situation, they could opt for pulling the game.

    Tissues made of $$$ will dry these sad, sad tears.

  • DreadedWalrus #9 1 year ago

    At least it's a better reaction than Gameloft's...

  • darkmorgado #10 1 year ago

    If Capcom are so saddened, why not give Twisted Pixel a cut of any profits made on this?

    You can bet they'd have the lawyers out if TP published a game called "Mega Boy"

  • Badassbab #11 1 year ago

    Reminds me of Chemical Zone fro Sonoic 2 and and the character even curls up like Sonic.

  • HermitArcader #12 1 year ago

    Post deleted at 09:17:39 22-12-2011

  • chicknstu #13 1 year ago

    Nope, don't believe a word of it. Splosion man is over a year old. This game didn't take a year to make. The line about the pitch being in a separate office is therefore irrelevant. It's impossible that the team who made this were unaware of Splosion man.

    Lies, it's a total steal. And by the looks of it, not as good as the original.

  • arcam #14 1 year ago

    @DreadedWalrus

    How is it better? At least Gameloft admitted what they were doing.
    Edited by arcam at 13/01/11 @ 20:16

  • BabyJesus #15 1 year ago

    You're 'saddened' you got caught, nothing else.

  • Froggit #16 1 year ago

    If the characters looked a bit more similar, you'd think Twisted Pixel had done a surprisingly lazy half arsed port to mobile.
    Not sure why they don't think they'd have any chance in a lawsuit, despite their size - they could probably train a parrot to say, "Ours came first," and send it to court with a screenshot of each game shoved up its arse and that would be that.

  • asphaltcowboy #17 1 year ago

    Oh dear, that is remarkably similar! :/

  • drumbaby #18 1 year ago

    Capcom in the PS2's hey day were stellar. But they've really lost their way. Mediocre sequels and average new I.P. on the current gen' consoles, a seemingly endless contempt for PS3 gamers where quality and cross-platform parity is concerned...and now they're resorting to blatant plagarism!

    Tsk tsk. And to think they were once my favourite developer.

  • DreadedWalrus #19 1 year ago

    arcam: At least Capcom claim that the response has saddened them, whereas Gameloft came off as pretty unapologetic to me, as though it's just the expected order of things.

  • OnlyMe #20 1 year ago

    I remember when the developers of Football Glory (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxMGgxtTfvs) insisted that they've never played or seen Sensible Soccer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL2T4Yn2Tq8) in an interview around the time of release.

    Yeah, right.

  • kesouk #21 1 year ago

    Not only that, but the sound when you jump off walls and grab a pick up is ripped directlly from Sonic! Maybe Sega could help out TP... ;)

  • Jay-ITFC #22 1 year ago

    Just watched vid. Disgusting. Would love to see TP go ahead with a lawsuit!

  • Vortex808 #23 1 year ago

    Kudos to Twisted Pixel for being so restrained. They should be sueing the shit out of capcom though.

    Capcom owe Twisted Pixel bigtime for that.

  • celery7 #24 1 year ago

    Very similar obviously but isn't 'splosion mans key ability really just an evolution of the double jump? I don't know who first utilised the double jump but Capcom have certainly been at it for many years, Super Ghouls and Ghosts?

    To a lesser extent using bombs to propel Samus higher when in morph ball state is a very similar concept.

    So yeah, Capcom bad. But then Twisted Pixel hardly the Lord's of Originality. Oh and Capcom's game looks shite.

  • Freek #25 1 year ago

    All they are saying is that Capcom Mobile wasn't aware of the deal. Or in other words the idea of copying that game was their own. A fake apology, thinly veiled admission of guilt and deflection of blame all in one statement.

    If their games were as good as their PR they woulden't be in this mess.

  • JeroenZM #26 1 year ago

    It's no use suing Capcom what with all those lawyers at their disposal. Think of the courtroom drama's.

  • IronCladChicken #27 1 year ago

    Bet someone at Capcom is in trouble.

  • LOLLERS #28 1 year ago

    Great attitude from Wilford, he'll always be one step ahead in the long run with that kind of philosophy.

  • Dizzy #29 1 year ago

    "'MaXplosion' was developed independently by Capcom Mobile"

    Bullshit. The game is 95% the same.

  • SpookyTang #30 1 year ago

    My respect for Capcom went right out the window when they made Final Fight on PSN "must be online to play". They were the awesome for the PS2 generation but seeing this article unfold just makes me sad.

  • FuzzyDuck #31 1 year ago

    The character reminds me of Taokaka from BlazBblue.

  • charliemouse #32 1 year ago

    Objection!

  • retr0gamer #33 1 year ago

    It looks better than splosion man and without the crap humour :p

  • gjgjg #34 1 year ago

    "and we owe them one for inventing Mega Man"

    wow, in this age of legal battles all over the place I really admire this statement. I think ill buy splosionman to +1 em.

    Take note Activision and co. you dont win friends with ...salad

  • Eraysor #35 1 year ago

    I at least hope EG do the right thing and give this game a 0 or 1/10 when they review it.

  • PBz0r #36 1 year ago

    Rip-offs like these seem to be a legal gray area. Ideas get stolen all the time in the gaming biz, though in this case Capcom really stopped pretending to be original. But as long as the code or title isn't directly stolen and the gameplay concepts haven't been copyrighted, I think suing won't get you very far.

    Which is sad state of affairs for indies, but then again (and I don't mean to say I condone this) one can wonder what TP really has to lose from a shitty iPhone rip-off like this. I think DoodleJump should be more worried about FroggyJump than 'Splosion Man should be about MaXplosion.

  • Lexx87 #37 1 year ago

    I adore Twisted Pixel and their excellent humour. Best about this news is news that a TP mobile game is in the works!

    Shameful video that. Must be awful to work in that studio knowing you are just ripping something off.

  • zealcore #38 1 year ago

    So Twisted Pixel CAN Rip Off Explodemon and Capcom CAN'T Rip Off Splosion? I call shenanigans.

  • Acrid #39 1 year ago

    "so that Capcom has something to steal next year."

    Best retort ever.

  • Froggit #40 1 year ago

    Has Explodemon been released yet?
    Or did Twisted Pixel see a trailer for it, then manage to knock 'Splosion Man up and get it released a year and a half earlier?
    (Edit: I'll be happy to hear if it has, but it looks set for some time this year)

    Regardless, the similarities between those two, while obvious, are far less pronounced than SM and MaXplosion.
    It's as if Capcom Mobile had taken Sonic, replaced him with a fox with exactly the same move set, and made it look like shit.
    Edited by Froggit at 14/01/11 @ 01:23

  • Reihn #41 1 year ago

    We expect this from shameless scoundrels like Gameloft (their Halo ripoff N.O.V.A., their Uncharted ripoff etc), but Gameloft's name is mud and stealing other people great games and reworking them craply and inexpensively onto mobile platforms is their whole business model.

    This is no different, it's just shocking coming from Capcom, a company who (most) passionate gamers love & respect.

    Not good PR guys! I mean seriously, just because Gameloft do it, doesn't make it okay!

  • Harmonica #42 1 year ago

    ""While I think the similarities are pretty nauseating, we're too small to take on a company like Capcom""

    That and the fact that this just makes Splosion Man look even better by comparison.

  • actionfitz #43 1 year ago

    ""We're definitely not going to pursue legal action," explained a statement from Wilford...
    In general, anything that would take our focus off of making games would be a bad decision, I think."

    Well said that man.
    +1 etc.

  • Douche #44 1 year ago

    @gjgjg, i agree. Both:-

    'That, and we owe them one for inventing Mega Man, so we'll let them slide.'

    and

    'We just need to keep our heads down making the next thing so that Capcom has something to steal next year.'

    Pretty funny and refreshing comments in a pretty serious situation. Good on them.

  • SpaceMidget75 Verified Senior Software Developer, Minerva Computer Services #45 1 year ago

    Maybe they could ask MS to sue Capcom on their behalf. ;)

  • geeza2020 #46 1 year ago

    Shameless. Capcom boycott in place. Although I'm not really a fan of their games anymore anyway, Resi has gone down the shitter, ditto DMC, and street fighter was entertaining for the few minutes it lasted, and they seemed happy to let Okami die on consoles completely. If it wasnt for Dead Rising, Capcom would have absolutely nothing of interest to me, and now it turns out they are lying, idea stealing cheats as well. Fuck you Capcom.

  • evild_edd #47 1 year ago

    Only just seen the vid and am gob-smacked at this (and let's be honest about this) theft by Capcom.

    Some of the above posts seem to focus on the jumping/exploding mechanic, but the similarities go beyond that:

    1. The music and general presentation is straight from Splosion Man (bar the altered character art).
    2. The setting (science lab) is simply the same.
    3. Yes, the 3 jump mechanic ( even the use of jump pads) is identical
    4. Even some of the puzzles seem the same (vertical crushers with pick-ups in the middle anyone?)

    Now I'm not saying Splosion Man was 100% original in all its features (how many games can claim that?), but it's the combination of the above that makes this so blatant and outrageous.

    As a fan of Splosion Man and original games in general, I find this move by Capcom an outrage. TP are far too lenient and should be sued to hell and back.

    Capcom had lost almost all its credibility with the closure of Clover. This is the final straw.

  • Razorus #48 1 year ago

    Ha, I like this Wilford guy. He's real and pretty funny too. I think Capcom should offer to publish a title for them as an apology.

  • SomaticSense #49 1 year ago

    If they are that "saddened" by the situation, then why not just pull the game out of common courtesy and admittance that it's a blatant rip-off?

    Wtf do they mean by "saddened" anyway? Saddened that they got caught out? Saddened that TP think it's a rip-off? Saddened that it seems every gamer is on TP's side and not their's, and that's what they mean by 'regaining trust'? Or saddened by the fact that it turned out complete shit and wasn't a patch on 'Splosion Man's quality, and maybe that's what they meant by 'regaing trust'?

    WTF do they mean?
    Edited by SomaticSense at 14/01/11 @ 13:42

  • bloodflowers #50 1 year ago

    Capcom "saddened" by being caught out.

    Claiming it's not a rip off destroys their credibility entirely, even the name is similar.
    Edited by bloodflowers at 14/01/11 @ 23:38