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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 - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 06:35
BS3 Owner
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 - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 06:37
hjd uk
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 - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 06:38
Jim Sterling
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 - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 06:39
johanster
There is also stuff from Morrowind, Diablo and Unreal in there.
Check out this NeoGaf thread.
Jim Sterling's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 06:41
Jim Sterling
"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 - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 06:41
BS3 Owner
^ That's EVEN MORE insane. WTF???!!!
hjd uk's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 06:43
hjd uk
Pub mates make game in spare time, results match expectations. :)

I just don't know how it got published.
Jim Sterling's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 06:53
Jim Sterling
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 - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 07:03
Torzelan
Love it!

Chocobo Knight's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 07:10
Chocobo Knight
This is just frigging hilarious!
Justice's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 07:18
Justice
"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 - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 07:19
catsithx
Never thought I would hear about on game ripping off another game so blantly
SgtBilbo's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 07:20
SgtBilbo
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 - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 07:21
Perry Simm
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 - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 07:26
wardrox
So it takes all the good bits from other games? If they have Big Daddies in there, I'm sold.
Visc's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 07:35
Visc
That NeoGAF thread is incredible. I think someone coined Limbo of the Lost a "Frankengame". Very apt.
Demtor's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 07:37
Demtor
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 - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 07:59
savagesaladin
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 - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 08:18
Professor Pew
Simpsons did it.
Jehutus's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 08:28
Jehutus
Hell. I'd buy it.
Eschatos's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 08:47
Eschatos
First off, is the game any good?
Woverine's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 08:49
Woverine
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 - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 09:07
Jetsetlemming
I wanna play this now, just to experience that fucked up amalgamation. :D

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

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

I'm so tempted to link it... stealing from thieves....
Bluefusion's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 09:35
Bluefusion
Man, that Neogaf forum is lighting up. It is hilarious how many assets are stolen from so many different games.
Electro Lemon's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 09:55
Electro Lemon
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 - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 10:14
Rucksack
Has anyone else seen the trailer? It's perhaps the most hilariously horrible thing I've seen in years!

Limbo Trailer
Elandarex's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 10:27
Elandarex
Wow, that trailer just killed a part of me deep down inside.
Holyetheline's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 10:39
Holyetheline
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 - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 10:45
godkow
I knew it stole from Oblivion, but now my head wants to explode. Seriously, what were they thinking?
MrSadistic's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 10:46
MrSadistic
I'm totally not downloading this game now.
Baharroth's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 10:51
Baharroth
http://justadventure.com/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1196172821/0
this shit is getting depper every minute.
goty worthy
Night-Strider's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 11:22
Night-Strider
oh geez, what were they thinking? XD
Brahms's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 11:49
Brahms
Epicly terribly trailer for epicly terrible plagiarism.
Knives's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 12:11
Knives
I think I'll try to torrent it, looks like I might get flashbacks from a lot of different games :P.
TheDreadHawk's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 12:14
TheDreadHawk
One acronym: LOL!
brainderailment's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 13:18
brainderailment
Now I want this game just so I can see the fucking failure in person.
MechaMonkey's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 15:06
MechaMonkey
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 - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 16:05
LarkOhiya
they stole from the old spawn movie and pirates of Caribbean.
Wedge's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/12/2008 19:56
Wedge
That's my kind of game development.

You just don't try to _sell_ those games usually.
Qraze's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/13/2008 15:46
Qraze
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 - Comment posted on 06/13/2008 16:36
JonDarkwood
Sounds like the work of someone who only got into the industry on stealing someone else's work in the first place.
mikeyed's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/24/2008 20:10
mikeyed
I searched "epic" on google and the picture above popped up.
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