Independent developer Noah Witherspoon has revealed that his free Tetris-esque iPhone puzzler Tris will be removed from the iTunes App Store this Wednesday, following a strongly worded letter from Apple sent on behalf of The Tetris Company.

The Tetris Company, which owns and licenses the Tetris property, accused Witherspoon of violating its copyright. Witherspoon added that Apple was poised to "take action" if he did not resolve the "dispute" of his own accord.

"The approach they're taking seems to me little more than petty bullying," Witherspoon wrote on his blog. "They have little to no legitimate legal claim, and are, presumably, relying on my being a small developer with insufficient resources to defend myself."

While he was confident that the claim could be challenged in court, Witherspoon opted to remove the game due to his lack of funds and status as a college... Read more

Other Ocean's iPhone edition of Amusement Visions' Super Monkey Ball has sold more than 300,000 copies in the 20 days following its launch last month on the iPhone App Store, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The accelerometer-powered, tilt-sensing title was sold for $9.99 on the App Store, Apple's digital distribution platform for iPhone and iPod Touch software downloads. The game amounted to over 10% of the App Store's total software sales in the month since its launch, which totaled about $30 million.

"That's a substantial business," said Sega of America president Simon Jeffery. "It gives iPhone a justifiable claim to being a viable gaming platform."

Apple CEO Steve Jobs also revealed that the App Store totaled more than 60 million downloads in the same period, though most of those were free ... Read more

id Software co-founder John Carmack took the stage Thursday night to address fans at QuakeCon 2008 in Dallas.

While a few moments of new Rage footage were shown, and Doom 4 was briefly mentioned, Carmack began his talk mainly by speaking on iPhone game development.

"We have two different projects that are at least vaguely in the works on the iPhone," said Carmack.

"Pure graphics wise, [the iPhone is] about equivalent to a Dreamcast, but if you were to compare it to a console, it's pretty close to a previous generation console."

"While the graphics aren't that high up, you've got a lot more RAM," he added, adding that RAM is where developers typically run into technical problems.

Carmack also noted that his relationship with Apple can be rocky.

"It's a rollercoaster ride with Apple always. They make nice when they want me to come make a keynote there," he said, adding that when he speaks honestly about the company, he often makes their "shit list."

Two unofficial World of Warcraft applications for Apple's iPhone have arrived on the device's App Store. Spotted by WoW Insider, the software allows players of Blizzard Entertainment's wildly popular MMO to check character stats and server status.

Rudolf Psenicnik's Warcraft Characters allows users to download character information such as stats, avatars, combat records and other information, though it currently does not show equipped gear. A forthcoming update will make the software compatible with accounts on European realms.

WarCraftStat, meanwhile, lists information for all U.S.-based World of Warcraft servers such as population level, server type, and whether the server is currently online. The program was created by Michael Gaines.

Both applications are available as free downloads from the App Store, accessible via the iPhone or iTunes on a PC or Mac. While many speculate that Blizzard will eventually release some sort of iPhone application of its own, anxious developers will likely continue to create similar programs in the interim.

In an interview with Shacknews conducted earlier today, legendary Doom developer and id Software co-founder John Carmack expressed regret that his company could not put together an iPhone game in time for today's launch of the iPhone application store.

"I'm really kind of sad about... how things played out outside of our real control on that," said Carmack when asked about id iPhone development. "I'm really bullish on the iPhone market. I think that what they're doing with iTunes, cutting the carriers out of there... it's a great hardware platform.

"It's a market I really want to be in, we just didn't have the resources to go do something for the initial launch."

Carmack then revealed that he and id programmer Robert Duffy have been quietly experimenting with the iPhone's 3D engine.

"Robert Duffy and I actually hacked together a kind of a port... Read more

Apple's new iPhone firmware arrived today, and alongside it, the iTunes App Store for iPhone and iPod Touch users has formally launched.

The store packs a number of games and other applications, which generally range in price from free to $9.99. A number of other titles are expected to arrive by tomorrow morning, when the new 3G iPhone hits North American retailers.

Games currently available, or expected to arrive by tomorrow morning, include:

• Tetris (EA Mobile) / Price Unknown
• Scrabble (EA Mobile) / Price Unknown
• Sudoku (EA Mobile) / Price Unknown
• Bejeweled 2 (PopCap Games) / $9.99
• Super Monkey Ball (Sega) / $9.99
• Bomberman Touch: The Legend of Mystic Bomb (Hudson) / $7.99
• Etch A Sketch (Freeze Tag) / $4.99
• MS. Pac-Man (Namco) / $9.99
• Cro-Mag Rally (Pangea Software) / $9.99

Meanwhile, upcoming games for the iPhone and iPod Touch include:

• Spore (EA Mobile) / September
• Krull (Digital Legends) / September
• Peggle (PopCap Games) / Unknown

Mass Effect (PC, 360) developer BioWare is examining the feasibility of a product for Apple's iPhone platform, company president Greg Zeschuk revealed in an interview.

"We look at every platform that comes along. Obviously, something that's as big a cultural and technical success as the iPhone is something you really got to take a close look at," Zeschuk told MTV Multiplayer.

Game development on the iPhone has ramped up since the gadget's debut. Ports of EA Maxis' life-sim Spore and Sega's Super Monkey Ball, which make use of the phone's built-in accelerometers and touch screen, were announced last March.

"I think one of the things that we'll have to see how it shakes out is what type of consumer buys games on it and what type of experience they're looking for," he added.

BioWare CEO Ray Muzyka offered his perspective on the rapidly growing PC MMO market and the success of titles such as Blizzard's World of Warcraft and... Read more

Apple has released HD footage of yesterday's demonstration of Krull, the upcoming iPhone action-adventure game from Digital Legends Entertainment.

Roughly ported to the iPhone in around four days, the 3D mobile game uses a combination of touch-based controls and accelerometer mechanics. Dynamic shadows and other handheld-level effects are also on display.

Krull is expected to hit in September, following the July 11 launch of the new iPhone 2.0 software and 3G iPhones. Registered users can use the HD Stream

Update 8: The 8GB iPhone 3G will sell for $200. There will be a 16GB model for $300, which will also be available in white.

The 3G iPhone will debut in 22 countries July 11. It is likely that the App Store and iPhone 2.0 software will appear on that day, as an early July release was teased, though Apple has yet to specify an exact date.

Update 7: The company has revealed the iPhone 3G, which, compared to the original iPhone, is thinner, has 3G and GPS support plus a plastic back. No word yet on pricing or a possible price drop for the standard iPhone.

Update 6: Jobs says that "the number one reason people didn't buy iPhones is because they just can't afford it...as we arrive on the iPhone's first birthday, we're going to take it to the next level."

Update 5: The App Store will be available in 62 countries. Applications less than 10MB can be downloaded through the cell phone network--anything larger will require a wireless access point or iTunes.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs reaffirmed that App Store developers will keep... Read more

The touch screen interface and motion-sensitive features of Apple's iPhone could wrestle dominance of the handheld gaming market away from the Nintendo DS, Forbes writer Brian Caulfield suggested in a recent editorial.

"Apple is the first to master a pair of tricks that have made Nintendo's latest products so compelling—a touch-screen interface and the ability to pick up on motion," Caulfield wrote. "Apple has crammed both capabilities into its iPhone and iPod Touch."

The editorial goes on to suggest that the ability to wirelessly purchase and download software for the iPhone via its App Store interface, coming in a software update next week, will further strengthen the device as a handheld ... Read more

The developers behind the widely circulated video of id Software's Quake 3 running on an iPod touch were today revealed to be working on an original game for the platform.

Following a series of clues, GameCyte discovered that the port was developed by HermitWorks Entertainment, an indie development studio founded by former BioWare staffers Cameron and Marcia Tofer. The unofficial Quake 3 port was put together in a matter of hours, and employs the iPod touch's built-in accelerometers for movement and aiming.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Speaking with the site, Cameron Tofer revealed that the studio is currently... Read more

id Software programming wizard John Carmack took some time off from his rocket science today to comment on the just-announced software development kit for Apple's iPhone.

"Just based on the blurbs, it looks very good--a simulator plus debugging on the native device is the best of both worlds, and a 70% royalty deal for apps over iTunes is quite good," said Carmack in a forum post on Slashdot.

Doom RPG (Mobile) and Orcs & Elves (Mobile, DS) were developed by Fountainhead Entertainment with help from Carmack. Fountainhead founder Anna Kang, John Carmack's wife, was brought on by id last year to head up the company's mobile division.

"We (Id) have put in our application like everyone else, so I don't have any inside information at this point," added Carmack. "I think [Apple CEO] Steve [Jobs] is still... Read more

Ports of Sega's Super Monkey Ball and Maxis' hugely anticipated life-sim Spore are in development for Apple's iPhone, Gizmodo reports.

The news dropped during a conference at Apple's headquarters in which the company detailed the release of the iPhone software developer's kit. Speaking on the possibility of game development on the platform, Apple revealed that versions of Spore and Super Monkey Ball are already in the works.

The titles both showcase the use of the iPhone's 3D capabilities, and utilize the phone's multitouch screen and built-in accelerometers. Apple also pointed out that the iPhone port of Spore is not a scaled-down affair; all 18 levels, from the microbic to cosmic, are represented in Spore's iPhone incarnation.

No price point or release date was mentioned, but Apple stated that all upcoming applications and games in development for the iPhone will be available exclusively on the newly-launched App Store, accessible via iTunes, the iPhone and the iPod Touch.

So the big announcement in nerd land today is the iPhone and Apple TV. Apple unveiledall kinds of information about the iPhone which is also the widescreen/touchscreen iPodpeople have been talking about for so long. Here are a few bits.

iPhone (website)
- Cingular exclusive, launching June
- $499/$599 price points for 4G/8G models
- Runs OSX, No Stylus
- More pics info
AppleTV (website)
- WiFi b+g+n / HDMI / 720p / etc.
- Ordering now, launching February
- Syncs with up to 5 machines
- Works with iTunes of course

Where is our standalone widescreen touchie iPod you commies.