Hey guys, Our new game Grand Theft Gold is coming. We are thinking about differnet ideas to present screenshot. 1, just show a really blurred image and ask gamers to "see it for yourself". The game will be free. 2, just like normal games to show in-game screenshot. Which idea is better? We have some screenshots here. Please give us some suggestions! BTW, we are looking for PR or marketing partners
Naming this product Grand Theft Gold is the most self-destructive idea I've heard in a long time. Good luck. Part of me wonders what the gameplay is like; the other part of me cringes at the sleazy title/logo rip.
Please come up with an original title for your game, rather than trying to succeed by imitating a mega-hit franchise. It will only backfire.
Yeah, especially the logo rip. The screenshots are intriguing enough for me to want to see a gameplay video, but that is a lil on the WTF side. If a developer is confident in his (or her) own work, wouldn't he want to make a name for himself and his game?
Grand Theft Fail, indeed I suppose you could've called it Grand Theft Grand Theft Since you just committed a grand theft of Grand Theft
I can deal with the font, it suits the game quite well... I'm not sure Rockstar would be too happy with you using both the font and such a similar name though. If you go ahead with it I'd suggest having a backup name ready just in case. When you talk about blurring the images, do you mean on the App Store? If so I think that's a very bad idea. People don't want clues, they want to look at an app and know within 2 seconds whether or not it appeals to them. I can pretty much guarantee you that if they see that logo with a blurred screenshot, a large percentage of people will assume it's a badly-made GTA clone and ignore it completely.
If rockstar see this I think you're in trouble as it looks like they're associated with it Having a blurred screenshot and making people install it first is a silly idea
Thanks for these comments, guys. Really appreciate it. I agree with that the name Grand Theft Gold may be risky. It took really long time for us to find a good name. One day, Grand Theft Gold just came out~~~. We thought it is kind of fun to use "Grand THeft" and it may get more attention. It's really hard to get noticed in the app store for small companies now
I think you should start a thread asking for name suggestions and see if anyone can come up with something you like, it can't hurt to try. My own suggestion would be something like Gold Theft or Gold Heist. You could get away with using the same font, but keep the name simple and to the point. Plus a short name looks better on the iPhone springboard. Even if you stick with the same name I can imagine myself buying the game because I like what I see in the screenshots, but there are people who won't take it seriously if they think you're just trying to copy Rockstar.
Yes defiantly need a new name and logo, People would get your game thinking it was like GFA then realize it ain't and review it 1 star.
I agree with what a lot of people are saying, using Grand Theft Gold as your title cheapens the whole thing and you wont be taken seriously. To be honest, my first thought when I saw the thread 'Grand Theft Gold' was 'Nice, maybe they've put GTA, GTA London, & GTA 2 in a pack' like a Grand Theft Auto Gold Anniversary edition or something. Then I saw your game and was not happy. Which is obviously not the reaction you want, especially as after taking another look it does actually look like a lot of effort has gone into this. If you want to get noticed, and for good reasons, change the name, then advertise like crazy, just spread the word. Word of mouth is the best form of advertisement, and wouldnt you prefer people saying 'check this nice little game out I found on the app store' rather than 'OMG look at this blatant rip off of the GTA name!'?
Yep i did that ! Thought it was some major compilation of the classic top down Grand Theft Auto games and then like you say it looked like a cheap way of using the name to get a bit of publicity. If this went out there'll be lots of 1 star comments from people who instantly bought this (without checking) thinking it was a 'proper' Grand Theft Auto game
@GameVision: the others here are almost certainly correct. From the screenshots, the game looks interesting, but the fonts, logo and name really need to be changed, otherwise the only thing that will ever stand out about it is the fact that it looks like it's trying to rip off a well-known franchise, no matter whether it's a good game or not.
I agree with you that it's hard for small companies to get noticed. But stealing an awesome Game IP is definitely the wrong way. Would you like your successful Game IPs to be stolen? It's a bad idea for every party. It hurts Rockstar, if another game of another company uses nearly the same name including the same font and same logo as their hit franchise It hurts the user, as they trust the brand and logo and hence expect a GTA and get disappointed by the fact they've been cheated It hurts you, as you'll get bad ratings (even if your game is great) as you don't meet the users expectations, as well as a possible lawsuit. I can't say anything bout the game but I want it to have a chance, so invent an original IP. You've already raised some attention in the board, maybe that's helpful for "getting noticed" regards
That's exactly the point, resorting to cheesy tactics to confuse consumers is not a respectful or valid way to draw positive attention to your game. I think you should just release the game and be damned because you're just shooting yourself in the foot even in this promotion defense. It's very disappointing to see a "small company" defend lack of creativity and bankrupt artistic license (in product name at least) by whining about being un-noticed.
Its like Doodle, Doodle Jump, Doodle Bomb, Doodle God, Doodle Freaks, Doodle Fuse, Doodle Frog, Doodle Pad, Doodle Boat, Doodle this Doodle that. I understand why no one gets Doodle games anymore. And why Lima Sky wanted to claim copyright over Doodle. That might be why Grand Theft is a bad idea. You will do it then someone else then another guy and eventually people will be like. This is Bull, why should i buy a game when a developer has come up with a name that has not taken much thought into it. It wouldnt matter if your game is first class. The name could be the most important thing.
I thought this was sequel to GTA China Wars O.O... Bad name, you should do contest of new name or something as someone stated before. But I've seen worse names(or equal) such as Infinite Blade and Tiny Wings(on android!).
Enough of criticizing your game name. How about gameplay trailer? If it's good game it's easier for us to appreciate this more.