Fake Turtles app slips past Apple's review process

Apple's app review process is today under question after a fake, unplayable Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game was found on the App Store.

The app in question is named Ninja Turtles, by Vietnamese developer Namphuong Star, and was spotted last week by Daring Fireball. The app uses official Ninja Turtles art for its icon, backgrounds from NES shooter Contra, effects from SNK's Metal Slug, and some amateurish recreations of the titular turtles.



According to customer reviews on the App Store, the game isn't even playable. "The character immediately slides off the side of the screen," one reads. "There seems to be no way to interact with the game. And there doesn't seem to be any way to start a new game.

"The use of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters on the splash screen are almost certainly infringement; the blob that slides off the screen during the actual game isn't identifiable as a turtle. Or much of anything."

The developer's official website, applehome.com.vn, is a store selling iPhone and iPad accessories. It has five other apps on the App Store, all released in the last two months, none of which appear to have been reviewed or rated.

Apple's App Store review guidelines are private to licensed developers, but its review guidelines page reads: "The app approval process is in place to ensure that applications are reliable, perform as expected, and are free ot explicit and offensive material.

"We review every app on the App Store based on a set of technical, content, and design criteria."

Yet somehow a clearly fake, unplayable game which may also be in violation of trademarks has been available on the App Store since August 18 for £2.99.

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