Apple Under Fire After Fake Pokemon App Hits iTunes Top Ten

Fake Pokemon App Hits iTunes Top Ten

Apple has been criticised after a malfunctioning iPhone app masquerading as an official Nintendo game was allowed to rise to the top of the iTunes Store charts.

The Yellow Pokemon app promised gameplay "just like the original" Nintendo title.

Adding to the confusion, developers House of Anime (also known as Daniel Burford) used official artwork from the Pokemon series and boasted that "your very own Pokémon legend is about to begin".

The app listing also included "press quotes" that praised its "fantastic and addictive gameplay" and "hundreds of hours" of entertainment.

The game delivered little of the sort, despite rising as high as third on the App Store chart.

According to most reviews - almost all one-star - left on iTunes, the 69p app barely managed to open before crashing.

Tech news website Pocketlint quoted one reviewer as saying: "Disappointed and would like to hunt down this guy and spit in his coffee! And watch as he drinks unaware and then feed his pet fish judas to him and call it a steak and see as he eats it unaware of my master skills in deception!"

Kotaku quoted another as saying: "I want my money back if I don't get it I'm going to sue the person who made this application this just a rip off lying to us of what it contains!"

The app has now been pulled, and an apology from the developer is now offline. But customers are still angry that they paid for the app and aren't sure if they can get a refund.

Disappointed customers are encouraged to contact Apple via the admin section of the iTunes store.

Others are questioning how the app managed to make it onto the iTunes store in the first place.

A search on iTunes before the apps were taken down revealed 'House of Anime' had also released several other questionable apps in the same vein, based on other popular TV shows and games.

Ars Technica speculates that Apple leaves questions of copyright down to the original holders of the rights, and only polices its apps for technical functionality.

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