Trollface creator talks about Meme Run’s eShop removal, dev not sure if the game will return
Meme Run was taken down from the Wii U eShop last month. Once the dust settled, it was revealed that the move came about due to a copyright claim involving the trollface meme.
Kotaku reached out to trollface creator Carlos Ramirez about the situation and was told the following:
“People message me. ‘Hey, look, your trollface was used here! You oughta sue these guys.’ I just say ‘Okay, I’ll look at it.’ And I look at it. If it’s a really minor thing, I can’t be bothered with it. It’ll take too much time, and let people have their fun. If they’re not making any significant money on it, it’s like, eh, not a big deal. If you’re publishing a game on a major platform and it’s using my image, it’s kind of hard to ignore.”
“It’s really troublesome when you’re making a game comprised entirely of memes. It’s a big problem of copyright infringement, all across the board, and I guess I was the only one with enough time to go out of my way and shake it down.”
Ninja Pig Studios founder and Meme Run developer Jordan Schuetz weighed in on the situation as well. Speaking about making Meme Run, Schuetz said:
“When developing Meme Run, some art assets were taken from content hosted on royalty free image websites like Open Game Art. The others I created myself in Photoshop. […] It is uncertain if the game will ever return despite petitions that fans are currently circulating requesting the game be reinstated. The appropriate protocol to remove the game was followed.”
Ramirez, after discussing Meme Run with Schuetz, was told that the game hadn’t made Ninja Pig Studios any money. However, Ramirez feels that this is unlikely given how it was climbing to the top of the eShop charts and was featured in the WaraWara Plaza, which gives some indication of a title’s popularity.
On the topic of sales, Schuetz stated:
“Carlos’ figures are completely abstract and erroneous. I’m not able to share exact or even ballpark figures to anyone due to the non-disclosure agreement that every developer signs with Nintendo. I am obligated to comply with the rules of engagement and confidentiality section of the contract that I signed in order to develop games for the Wii U platform.”
It now looks like Nintendo will be getting involved with Meme Run. Kotaku reports that “Ramirez wants Nintendo to hand over email correspondence with Ninja Pig Studios to answer some pretty key questions”, such as whether Nintendo was aware of a possible copyright violation, and how much the game has sold.
As for Meme Run’s future, it sounds like Ramirez doesn’t want to see it permanently removed from the eShop. Ramirez informed Kotaku that he would have signed off on Meme Run had Ninja Pig Studios asked for permission.
“It’s good for business. It keeps the image alive. I don’t want to kill it. I wouldn’t want to kill something that popular.”
