FortressCraft sells $1.5 million worth on Xbox Live, but Microsoft hasn't paid the developer a singl
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Source - [url=http://www.diygamer.com/2011/09/fortresscraft-sells-million-copies-recieved-money-microsoft/]DIY Gamer[/url]
[release]Potential huge news for fans of Microsoft’s Xbox Live Indie Game service this afternoon. As everybody knows by now [b]the most popular and best selling game currently on the service is FortressCraft[/b], the game that is constantly derided as being nothing more than a Minecraft-clone when, in fact, Minecraft is actually a clone of another game. Semantics… blah.
In any case, DJArcas, the primary developer of the game, popped on Twitter a few minutes ago to discuss sales of the game. In a sense, the game has sold very very well with 497,450 crafters taking the plunge for the Xbox indie title.
So let’s see… do a little math… at 240 MS points that’s $3. So multiple 3 x 497,450 and you get $1,492,350. Nice! [b]But first let’s subtract Microsoft’s 30% cut. I’ll skip a bit here and just bring you the end result. If my math is correct (and why wouldn’t it be? I have a calculator!) the guys who made FortressCraft should be richer by about $1,044,545. Whew… millionaires by my count![/b]
And then comes in this little tweet by the same guy:
[quote]And just so EVERYONE knows – I haven’t received a SINGLE cent of money from this game.(‘cept $80 in donations)[/quote]
DJArcas has gotten back to me to confirm that Microsoft hasn’t sent him his money yet. He blames Microsoft’s current system which is overly complicated and unwieldly. [b]He still has no idea when he’s getting paid but hopes it’ll be in mid November, but says it could also take as long as mid-February of next year.[/b][/release]
Good job Microsoft. Your largest indie developer has made you 1.5 million dollars and you haven't paid him his 70% cut yet. Way to attract new devs.
While it does suck that it's just a Minecraft clone - and that, from what I've heard, the creator of this game is a raging asshat - it's still a real dick move not to pay this dude.
I would be outraged... if it wasn't a shitty Minecraft adaptation made by one of the most annoying people on the planet.
Well, if I ever make a game, I am not bringing it to xbox.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_roZk-EjOQ[/media]
Looks like shit imo
Give the money to notch
urgh microsoft. Unsubscribing from my XBL was a complete nightmare, you wouldn't have thought a company that big would be so.. underhand about that sort of thing :/ they really have an issue with letting go of money
Minecraft WAS a clone of Infiniminer. But, now it's evolved into something completely different. don't pull this shit FC fans.
ITT: Every one thinks Minecraft was the first to do that art style.
[QUOTE=Dark Myis;32358344]I would be outraged... if it wasn't a shitty Minecraft adaptation made by one of the most annoying people on the planet.[/QUOTE]
It wouldn't matter if the game was made by Adolf Hitler himself, Microsoft are still being assholes
[QUOTE=Dark Myis;32358344] one of the most annoying people on the planet.[/QUOTE] What did he do? I just want to know more.
Why hasn't he sued them yet? This has to be illegal.
[QUOTE=PariahKing;32358482]Why hasn't he sued them yet? This has to be illegal.[/QUOTE]
Probably signed something.
And you generally don't win lawsuits against companies like Microsoft.
[QUOTE=qwerty000;32358380]What did he do? I just want to know more.[/QUOTE]
My first impression of him would have been reading that he said, in response to critisism about basically cloning Minecraft, that "Minecraft is just a clone of Infiniminer anyway", or something like that.
Seiously? The best selling indie game is a blatant copy of Minecraft?
[QUOTE=Cone;32358553]My first impression of him would have been reading that he said, in response to critisism about basically cloning Minecraft, that "Minecraft is just a clone of Infiniminer anyway", or something like that.[/QUOTE]
Something about how anyone calling his game a clone was a raging Minecraft fanboy if I'm not mistaken.
Regardless, this is just weird.
[QUOTE=Cone;32358329]While it does suck that it's just a Minecraft clone - and that, from what I've heard, the creator of this game is a [b]raging asshat[/b] - it's still a real dick move not to pay this dude.[/QUOTE]
first that guy rips off minecraft and now he rips off my facepunch name
what a jerk
[QUOTE=Sir Whoopsalot;32358592]Something about how anyone calling his game a clone was a raging Minecraft fanboy if I'm not mistaken.
Regardless, this is just weird.[/QUOTE]
He's kind of right about that though.
it doesnt matter if it's a 'direct clone' or if it 'looks like shit', the devs still deserve the money for the time and effort they put into this.
[QUOTE=Zeke129;32358643]He's kind of right about that though.[/QUOTE]
That's just something I can think of right now, I remember him being a total douche in more ways than one.
[QUOTE=Bobie;32358672]it doesnt matter if it's a 'direct clone' or if it 'looks like shit', the devs still deserve the money for the time and effort they put into this.[/QUOTE]
If he even put any in it.
It makes me laugh how almost every fortress craft related news thread is filled with Minecraft fanboys complaining that this game is the scourge of humanity because it copied their beloved game. May I just say, welcome to modern business.
[QUOTE=Higginz511;32358356]Give the money to notch[/QUOTE]
but notch didn't make fortresscraft, he made minecraft
Although what Microsoft is doing is wrong, it could not have happened to a more deserving person.
Also the article is wrong in claiming that Minecraft is a clone of another game (Infiniminer), at an early stage it was similar and it is directly inspired by Infiniminer, but that is all it was, an early stage in development, if Notch had stopped then and tried to sell that you could make the argument that it was a clone, but he did not. FortressCraft is a very shameless clone however with a few small features not found in Minecraft, but is still recognisably Minecraft.
In time it may prove itself to be more than a clone, but from what I've seen of it's updates and the rate at which it updates, that seems very unlikely.
doesn't look that bad actually
I nattered with DJArcas and projectorgames at a south UK LAN I was at a couple weeks ago. They're really nice people: Fortresscraft was their first real commercial release and while I PERSONALLY still think it's a heap of shit and wouldn't buy it, they don't deserve the shit they're getting flung over it. He did mention something at the time about not seeing a dime of the money coming from it, and this is probably why.
P.S: ProjectorGames make an awesome projector-based experience entitled "Tactics Forever" which pretty much sucked up 75% of the LAN - they're going to be releasing that freely, so they're definitely not money-grabbing bastards in that regard.
Ha, karma is a bitch.
Edit: Eh, you know what? This sounds rather dick-ish. I don't mean the devs shouldn't get their money (because they definitely should and Microsoft are huge dicks), I just think it's rather ironic and fitting that the devs are experiencing some financial issues after blatantly ripping-off Minecraft and riding its success. (And don't bother trying to tell me it's not a rip-off, it's called "Fortresscraft" for the love of god.)
Wow Microsoft. Dick move.
Don't they get paid something like once every half year or even fiscal year or something? Would make no sense for microsoft to do the transaction per every sale at the moment of the sale.
[QUOTE=Intoxicated Spy;32358364]ITT: Every one thinks Minecraft was the first to do that art style.[/QUOTE]
Nobody mentioned the art style.
Edit: But now that you've brought that up, the artstyle is horrible. The water and smoke don't match the terrain at all.
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