Nokia Gives $250,000 "Innovators" Prize To A Puzz Loop Clone
October 18, 2011 5:00 AM | Danny Cowan
The word "innovation" has officially lost all meaning, as Nokia has named the mobile puzzler Sparkle the winner of its "Calling All Innovators" contest, awarding producer 10tons a cash prize of $250,000.
Nokia describes Sparkle's inspired gameplay: "You control a circular orb launcher that when pressed fires colored orbs. As you do this, a chain of identical-but-random orbs will be flowing around a track. [...] In order to stop this, your [sic] fire your colored orbs at the matching colored orbs on the track. Match three or more of the same color and you'll make them vanish [...]"
Sparkle's innovative color-matching, stuff-disappearing gameplay is copied from Mitchell's 1998 arcade game Puzz Loop, which itself has been cloned many, many times since in games like Zuma and Luxor. Even in an age where cloned concepts like Angry Birds and Tiny Wings are top sellers, calling the creator of a Puzz Loop clone an "innovator" is beyond absurd.
To add further insult, Sparkle isn't even a new game -- it was originally published for PC platforms in 2007, with the mobile port being a recent development. I wonder how much of the prize money 10tons plans to split with Mitchell?
[via @Capy_Nathan]
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3 Comments
Wow that's 25% of one million... unbelievable. The guys who made that game are probably jumping from joy (and disbelief)... "We did it, yaaay!". Good for them I guess.
The competition must have been abysmal for this to win. What an embarrassment.
whaaat | October 18, 2011 5:48 AM
If that's the winner, I want to see what the other participants had to offer. A puzzle game where you arrange blocks to form lines? An open world game that's heavy on violence? A rhythm game where you press buttons to music?
I should've entered this contest. I've got a great idea for a game where you arrange cards in stacks according to suit. That quarter of a million dollars would be mine.
Yeah, no one should take a game competition run by Nokia seriously, even with the massive prize.
Randy | October 27, 2011 1:40 PM
A) It's not 10tons' fault if they win. Keep the money and be happy, world is full of clones now, then and in the future. I REALLY doubt PuzzLoop invented the match-3 thing. World would suck if developers would not clone good ideas into great new games.
B) Did it occur to you that Nokia might think also some other aspects as an innovation? Like visual stuff and feeling? Have you even tried the game?
Jeesus stop the whining it's annoying. "I don't like Angry Birds cause it's Crush the castle clone bohoo." Well Castle Crusher is crap, AB isn't. I'm really goddamn happy they did it.
GOogel | November 17, 2011 12:27 PM