Apple fails to catch Minecraft knockoff before it reaches top 10 status

Fake Minecraft app makes it to top 10 before finally being taken down by Apple.

Remember when Flappy Bird was all the rage and a number of knock-offs flooded the Apple Store? Well, it seems not even the likes of Minecraft can escape this fate, as a fake Minecraft app vaulted into the top 10 of the App Store Wednesday night. The app climbed as high as fourth - according to Redditors - until it was subsequently taken down by Apple later on.

Entitled Minecraft: Pocket Edition 2, this app actually has nothing to do with its namesake. As detailed by Eurogamer, it is actually a swiping game where zombies attack Scorpion of Mortal Kombat fame. Upon further investigation by Eurogamer, it was discovered that the author of this game was named Viktor Todorov who created the game under the alias of Scott Cawthorn. If the name sounds familiar, that's because Scott Cawthon (without the r) is the creator of Five Nights at Freddy's. Eurogamer surmised that Viktor created this alias in order to trick people into thinking he was the actual Five Nights at Freddy's creator. 

Though the app has been taken down, this incident begs the question of how this was allowed to happen at all. It was a failure on Apple's part and not the first of its kind either. Perhaps Apple should look into how it evaluates apps or polices its store so as to prevent this from happening again.


Hi! My name is Nick, and I am yet another kid trying to break into the world of gaming journalism. I am currently attending grad school and pursuing my Master's in Journalism. Want to know my favorite game? It's Mass Effect, but not the third one; we don't talk about that one. I am also an avid fan of any and all board games, and you should totally try Risk Legacy; it's like regular Risk but better.

Published Oct. 27th 2017

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