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Limbo of the Lost pulled for epic Oblivion theft photo

Majestic's Limbo of the Lost is a PC game with some balls. Not so much because it pushes boundaries or introduces risky new gameplay elements that we've never seen before, but because it has the brazen brass ones to rip off entire sections of 2006's most popular RPG without any shame whatsoever.

The theft was discovered by GamePlasma (site may be down due to being linked like crazy) who provided comparison shots of Oblivion backgrounds and Limbo backgrounds. The results are absolutely stunning and you can find two of the shots right here. Aside from the character, hand and compass, everything in the Limbo screenshot is directly lifted from Bethesda's Oblivion, including the exact same portrait hanging on the wall. It's also likely that the game stole from other titles including Diablo 2, Painkiller, Thief, UTK3, Morrowind and even Silent Hill 4. That's pretty amazing.

If it was just that one hall, maybe Limbo would have gotten away with it. Unlikely, but maybe. However, a whole host of Oblivion scenes have been lifted and stitched into Majestic's version of what could only be called a game development heist. Now that the jig is up, publisher Tri Synergy has ceased distribution of the game, stating it was "just as shocked as everyone else" to find out about the dirty theft. It currently awaits word from the culprits themselves.

I am not so much shocked about Limbo of the Lost stealing whole scenes from another game, but the idea that Majestic felt it could steal from one of the most well-known games of recent years and even hope to get away with it. Remember, when you need to steal something, steal from below to a lesser game. Never steal upwards, you incompetent boobs!


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46 comments | showing # 1 to 46

BS3 Owner's Avatar
BS3 Owner at 06/12/2008 06:35
That is something else.... You have to admit whomever is responsible is a bit retarded. The only thing they changed up was the fire effects. I think someone need Video Game AA, and was just asking for help, NO?

Not good news at all though for gamers. I would hate to see extra hassles to the original development teams. That worked so incredibly hard. Just to see them a year later have to pony up for a lawyer to take them to court. Over illegal copyright claims...

I hope this is isolated in nature?
hjd uk's Avatar
hjd uk at 06/12/2008 06:37
You forgot to mention it also ripping of UT2k4 and Morrowind.
This really explains all:

Pub pals pin hopes on US game success
Jim Sterling's Avatar
Jim Sterling at 06/12/2008 06:38
hjd_uk:

I was just adding in a mention of the other thefts. It rips off the train scene from Silent Hill 3! This is brilliant.
johanster's Avatar
johanster at 06/12/2008 06:39
There is also stuff from Morrowind, Diablo and Unreal in there.
Check out this NeoGaf thread.
Jim Sterling's Avatar
Jim Sterling at 06/12/2008 06:41
"Gordon: So have any more recent games influenced your current project?

Steve: The project is more influenced by film and literature rather than other games, we want the experience to be as original as possible and as such we have made a calculated effort to keep away from other games in the genre. Limbo of the Lost is an experience first and foremost, secondly wrapped up in a game media and genre."


HAHAHAHAHAHA
BS3 Owner's Avatar
BS3 Owner at 06/12/2008 06:41
^ That's EVEN MORE insane. WTF???!!!
hjd uk's Avatar
hjd uk at 06/12/2008 06:43
Pub mates make game in spare time, results match expectations. :)

I just don't know how it got published.
Jim Sterling's Avatar
Jim Sterling at 06/12/2008 06:53
I'm pretty sure the guy who voices the main character is the dude who played D.I Beech from The Bill and was that gangster in Eastenders. He also played the captain in CoD 4.
Torzelan's Avatar
Torzelan at 06/12/2008 07:03
Love it!

Chocobo Knight's Avatar
Chocobo Knight at 06/12/2008 07:10
This is just frigging hilarious!
Justice's Avatar
Justice at 06/12/2008 07:18
"Limbo of the lost is... secondly wrapped up in other games"

Fixed!

Seriously though this is just pitiful, how could they be so sad to go that far.
catsithx's Avatar
catsithx at 06/12/2008 07:19
Never thought I would hear about on game ripping off another game so blantly
SgtBilbo's Avatar
SgtBilbo at 06/12/2008 07:20
What makes it even better is the fact that it wasn't just Oblivion they ripped off. Apparently, they also went after Thief, Silent Hill, and Morrowind.

EPIC FAIL
Perry Simm's Avatar
Perry Simm at 06/12/2008 07:21
I really can't believe all this. Maybe the game is just one big prank? Some viral marketing bullshit for another game? You never know these days.
wardrox's Avatar
wardrox at 06/12/2008 07:26
So it takes all the good bits from other games? If they have Big Daddies in there, I'm sold.
Visc's Avatar
Visc at 06/12/2008 07:35
That NeoGAF thread is incredible. I think someone coined Limbo of the Lost a "Frankengame". Very apt.
Demtor's Avatar
Demtor at 06/12/2008 07:37
Haha, never even heard of this game until now. Bad publicity is still good publicity... except its likely I will still never play this game.
savagesaladin's Avatar
savagesaladin at 06/12/2008 07:59
When you plagiarize something you don't keep it word for word! Especially something like Shakespeare's work. They even kept that painting.

@Demtor

This isn't good publicity at all. They're removing the game from shelves. How can that be good?
Professor Pew's Avatar
Professor Pew at 06/12/2008 08:18
Simpsons did it.
Jehutus's Avatar
Jehutus at 06/12/2008 08:28
Hell. I'd buy it.
Eschatos's Avatar
Eschatos at 06/12/2008 08:47
First off, is the game any good?
Woverine's Avatar
Woverine at 06/12/2008 08:49
haha oh wow.. make sure everyone reads the whole neogaf forum post linked up there. all the examples are there with screenshots.. I guess they stole from crysis and the pirates movies too. this is awesome.
Jetsetlemming's Avatar
Jetsetlemming at 06/12/2008 09:07
I wanna play this now, just to experience that fucked up amalgamation. :D

They also stole from the fucking Spawn movie.
Jetsetlemming's Avatar
Jetsetlemming at 06/12/2008 09:27
Vampire the Masquarade: Bloodlines, too.
http://pc.gamezone.com/gamesell/screens/s29203_4.htm
boylie's Avatar
boylie at 06/12/2008 09:32
@Jim

The train is actually from a UT2004 map called ONS-Urban.
Jetsetlemming's Avatar
Jetsetlemming at 06/12/2008 09:35
Oh holy shit YES I found a torrent of this.

I'm so tempted to link it... stealing from thieves....
Bluefusion's Avatar
Bluefusion at 06/12/2008 09:35
Man, that Neogaf forum is lighting up. It is hilarious how many assets are stolen from so many different games.
Electro Lemon's Avatar
Electro Lemon at 06/12/2008 09:55
HAHAHAHA

Oh... shit.
Thats the funniest fucking thing I've read in a while. Its like a game from the guys that made Epic Movie & Meet the Spartans & all those other shitfests.
Rucksack's Avatar
Rucksack at 06/12/2008 10:14
Has anyone else seen the trailer? It's perhaps the most hilariously horrible thing I've seen in years!

Limbo Trailer
Elandarex's Avatar
Elandarex at 06/12/2008 10:27
Wow, that trailer just killed a part of me deep down inside.
Holyetheline's Avatar
Holyetheline at 06/12/2008 10:39
That's insane that they can just steal environments from games like this. I've never even thought of this concept until now.... crazy.
godkow's Avatar
godkow at 06/12/2008 10:45
I knew it stole from Oblivion, but now my head wants to explode. Seriously, what were they thinking?
MrSadistic's Avatar
MrSadistic at 06/12/2008 10:46
I'm totally not downloading this game now.
Baharroth's Avatar
Baharroth at 06/12/2008 10:51
http://justadventure.com/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1196172821/0
this shit is getting depper every minute.
goty worthy
Night-Strider's Avatar
Night-Strider at 06/12/2008 11:22
oh geez, what were they thinking? XD
Brahms's Avatar
Brahms at 06/12/2008 11:49
Epicly terribly trailer for epicly terrible plagiarism.
Knives's Avatar
Knives at 06/12/2008 12:11
I think I'll try to torrent it, looks like I might get flashbacks from a lot of different games :P.
TheDreadHawk's Avatar
TheDreadHawk at 06/12/2008 12:14
One acronym: LOL!
brainderailment's Avatar
brainderailment at 06/12/2008 13:18
Now I want this game just so I can see the fucking failure in person.
MechaMonkey's Avatar
MechaMonkey at 06/12/2008 15:06
I'm going to make a movie called Metal Guy, but basically just play use footage from Iron Man with different faces edited in.
LarkOhiya's Avatar
LarkOhiya at 06/12/2008 16:05
they stole from the old spawn movie and pirates of Caribbean.
Wedge's Avatar
Wedge at 06/12/2008 19:56
That's my kind of game development.

You just don't try to _sell_ those games usually.
Qraze's Avatar
Qraze at 06/13/2008 15:46
fncking horrible a game company can't come up with a random level, and so blatantly many levels at that. they programmers need to be fired.
JonDarkwood's Avatar
JonDarkwood at 06/13/2008 16:36
Sounds like the work of someone who only got into the industry on stealing someone else's work in the first place.
anomalous underdog's Avatar
anomalous underdog at 06/14/2008 17:53
mikeyed's Avatar
mikeyed at 09/24/2008 20:10
I searched "epic" on google and the picture above popped up.
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