
Shady iOS Game Exposed: Dev Accused of Code Theft | Image Source: arstechnica.com
06 ​March 2025 – The gaming community is fighting again with an alarming case of game cloning and ​potential theft ​of intellectual property, this time with an iOS game called My ​Baby or not!. According to reports, the ​game gained significant traction in the App Store, accumulating tens of thousands of downloads before developers discovered it ​was supposedly a stolen version of an existing game.
According to ​a post by VoltekPlay’s Reddit, the legitimate creators of the original game, their first indication of dirty ​game came when they noticed a suspicious peak in traffic to their bite. Next page. The increase, attracted by Google’s research, led the team to discover that their game, Diapers, ​please!, had been copied and ​published in iOS under a ​different name by an unknown developer.
How was the stolen game discovered?
The discovery of My baby or not! ​was unexpected. Voltek Play ​explained to Reddit that they only realized the situation due to a sudden influx ​of organic research traffic leading to its itching. Next page. Curious of ​the origin of this interest, ​they added a simple poll asking for new visitors where they had found the game.
Surprisingly, many players cited viral videos ​of TikTok showing the iOS ​version, which had been released without ​the ​knowledge of VoltekPlay. Fortunately, some TikTok commentators mentioned ​the real name – Sliders, please! – which helped some confused players back to the original developer ​page. However, many others have unknowingly downloaded ​the ​stolen version.
What was the popularity of the closed game?
The ​cloned version was rapidly ​boosted in the App Store. Sensor Tower estimates that My Baby or Not! had accumulated about 20,000 downloads before being marked as ​stolen ​content. At ​$2.99 per download, ​this means that the fraudulent developer may have generated significant revenues before acting.
What makes the situation even more worrying ​is the lack of general ​information about the individual responsible. The App Store list ​credited My Baby or Not! to a developer named ​Marwane Benyssef, ​a newcomer with no history known in the ​game development community. Other research revealed that Benyssef’s other game, Kiosk Food Night Shift, also appeared ​to be a direct copy of an itching. I was released like Kiosk.
What measures have ​been taken against the proponent?
When he discovered the clone, VoltekPlay did not waste ​time prosecuting. The team filed a DMCA copyright claim against My Baby or not!, citing the wholesale code theft. Apple, in response, acknowledged the allegation and ​forwarded ​it to Benyssef, ordering both parties to work for a resolution.
However, Apple’s response was initially criticized for being passive, ​as it simply facilitated communication rather than taking immediate action. It was only when media and social media users amplified the ​issue that Apple ​apparently took ​more decisive action. On ​the morning of March 6, Apple had removed my baby or not! and ​deleted the developer profile of Benyssef from the App Store, avoiding new downloads.
What does this incident reveal about ​the security ​of the App Store?
This affected concerns about Apple’s supervision to prevent stolen content from doing so in the App Store. ​While Apple has strict guidelines for developers, cases like these ​have highlighted holes that ​allow bad ​actors to take advantage of someone else’s work before detection.
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Many ​independent developers ​have criticized Apple’s reactive approach, arguing that the burden of the application is often on the original creators rather than the platform itself. ​Although the submission of a DMCA claim ​is ​an ​option, it may take time to process, at ​what point a fraudulent developer may already have made stolen content gains.
What do developers say about ​this?
Game developers and the interior of the ​industry have expressed frustration with the system. Many argue that large platforms like Apple need to put in place better verification and monitoring processes to ​prevent such flights ​from ​occurring ​first.
VoltekPlay, at his Reddit post, expressed its relief ​that the stolen game had been shot down, but ​noted that ​the whole situation was “frustrating and avoided”. The team ​pointed out that they were lucky players mentioned the real ​name of the game ​in ​TikTok, or otherwise the problem could have gone unnoticed for much longer.
What can Indie developers do to protect their games?
For independent game developers, these situations recall the importance of monitoring in intellectual property protection. Here are some steps developers ​can take:
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- Regularly monitoring App Store and Google Play for unauthorized copies of their games.
- Using tools like Google Alerts to ​track mentions of their game titles across the web.
- Engaging ​with their player communities to quickly identify potential clones.
- Filing ​DMCA claims as soon as unauthorized versions are discovered.
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While these measures can ​help, many believe that Apple platforms should take a more proactive position ​to detect and eliminate stolen content before it becomes ​a problem.
So far, Apple has not issued a ​public statement on the case. ​Meanwhile, VoltekPlay and other independent developers remain cautious, knowing that this may not be the last time a situation like this presents itself.