A version of popular game Cuphead made its way to Apple's App Store for a $5 price, but it's completely fake. Apple is working on removing it.
Cuphead is probably among the most popular games released this year, sparking a slew of positive reviews and getting people hooked on its challenging gameplay and cartoonish visuals.
The game is available for Windows 10, Xbox One, and Steam, at a $20 price point, so when it made a surprise appearance on the App Store at just $5 it raised great interest. Unfortunately for fans and those who rushed to buy it already, it turns out that it's not the real deal.
'Cuphead' For iOS Is A Scam
"There is a Cuphead imposter app on the iOS store -- this is a scam. We are working on removing the fraudulent app ASAP!" warns Cuphead developer StudioMDHR.
The developer struck an exclusivity agreement with Microsoft and it didn't break that deal two months after releasing the game. StudioMDHR and Apple are working on removing the fraudulent app from the App Store as soon as possible, albeit it remains unclear how a fake paid app made it there in the first place.
This fake iOS version of Cuphead links to what looks like a genuine iOS app and it features real screenshots from the game, it even lists StudioMDHR as the developer and seller, but the devil's in the details. The support page doesn't link to the actual StudioMDHR site, studiomdhr.com, but rather to a bogus site "studiomdhrgames.com."
The fake site apparently belongs to a Walter Gregor from Washington, but no one with this name is working at StudioMDHR. A further search into the domain registration reveals that this Walter Gregor is behind several other bogus websites for other games such as Totally Accurate Battle Simulator, Gang Beasts, and Grow Fish Simulator. Even more intriguingly, these fake websites advertise that the games would soon launch on iOS.
Don't Buy 'Cuphead' For iOS
This fake Cuphead game for iOS is actually playable, allowing users to rely on touch controls, but it's just a ripoff with low-resolution backgrounds and poor animation. The game doesn't even seem optimized for a touchscreen, although it was allegedly adapted to iOS.
Considering the rave reviews Cuphead sparked and the great popularity of iOS, seeing a ripoff for a quarter of the original game's price is not all that surprising. What is surprising, however, is that Apple let such a bogus app slide past its guards and become available for purchase as a seemingly legitimate app on the App Store. The company has yet to comment on this incident but might offer more information once it manages to remove the app.
