Clone apps or non-clone - What makes more money?

It's debatable really. Small example of how this works: the guys who created the original minecraft nine times outta ten make the most money. Then come the clones, from best (and most original and fun since players could already play the original). If you're mostly through development, stick with it, but add some sparks of originality to it. NOBODY likes a pure clone, but They can enjoy a game similar to it.

 

You'll probably get in trouble for trademark violation with that name. Heads up now that it's probably best to change it.

In terms of clones versus non-clones, I think it just comes down to the quality of the game, its novel features, etc.

 

A Lot of clones on the store

There are a lot of clones on the store at the moment and a lot of clones in the top 100. You shouldn't set out to directly copy a game though, you will will get compared to other games no matter what you do but try to add some originality to the game to make it a bit better or more interesting.

From my experience straight clones get smashed on the store with bad reviews, if you want to get some good ideas for games maybe look to old classics and flash games that aren't on the app store yet.

The game 'Chicks' is a good example of a clone of Lemmings, but no one on the app store seemed to care. Angry Birds and Tiny Wings are just clones of old flash games.
Check out wavespark to see where Tiny Wings inspriation came from:
http://nmccoy.net/games/game04_wavespark/applet/index.html

The difference is in the quality of the execution and the theme, start with minecraft but make it 10 times more awesome than the original and change the game up to make something new and original and you will have a winner.

 

The concept for Minecraft came from Infiniminer, but Minecraft made a lot more money. Many disagree whether Minecraft is a "clone" of Infiniminer, but there is little doubt that it was "heavily influenced" by Infiniminer.

So now you are proposing creating a clone of a clone of sorts. Could suffer from genetic breakdown like real clones.

As was already mentioned, I wouldn't market it with "minecraft" in the name in any way. Notch has millions of dollars to sue you with.

 

Best way to tell if you should make a clone of something or not is when you need to ask someone whether you should make it or not. Not being sarcastic... just saying at that point you know for a fact that it's at the pinnacle of it's popularity, and if you start now, you'll look silly in 5-6 months or whatever the cycle will be to put it out when everyone has moved on to free runners or bowling games...whatever the next popular thing will be

 

Thanks for the idea. Off to work on a free-running bowling game now!

 

MindJuice made me laugh ;-)

 

I quite like the Fake Peter Molyneuxs 'cascore' joke ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGZ9PmUlVZw ) - all the overblown emotional joke stuff aside the basic idea of bowling down alien or zombie attacks seems like a bit of a laugh and crazy enough to work. I just get the feeling that people with more time on their hands saw the video and had the same idea, so it'll appear sooner and in a more polished form than I can pull off.

So I'm still looking for my own niche. I want to do something better than other people out there, and it looks to me that the best way is to be the only one doing it and win by default

 

Personally I would prefer to have a niche in the app that I am making

it provides a differentiating factor and actually gives u more motivation in making it awesome =)

 

Both depend on the quality...

Minecraft itself is already available on iOS and isn't all that expensive. Unless you can severely undercut it with price (or even offer your game for free) I can't see how you'd benefit from your game being a clone.

I think the most successful clones are clones of things which aren't and possibly never will be available on the App Store. Lep's World, for example, is a Super Mario clone which has been in the top 10 for quite some time. People want Super Mario on their phones and Nintendo refuse to do it, so Lep's World sold.

Angry Birds clones and the like, well there are so many, and I haven't really seen any which have been successful (maybe Trucks & Skulls)...

 

Blatant trademark infringement of a registered and well known mark.

 

Lol this is a new low. Too answer your question make the minecraft clone that should at least be pretty funny.

 

It really depends on what it is you're cloning, if you can clone the best parts and improve on the less optimal parts you may have a winner on your hands that makes what was good, even better.

Isn't that really what everyone is sort of doing in a way anyways?

 

What about all those very successful Tiny Tower clones? They are doing really well, Glus small street, Zynga Dream Heights, Monopoly Hotel gosh!

 

Or, you could come up with your own idea and not rip off other people's stuff. Lazy devs.