Family Arcade

Warning: Asset Flip!

Family Arcade is a Unity Asset flip, what Valve calls a "fake game". The "developer", Family Nights, took the Hidden Object Game Template Unity Asset Store game assets from the real developers, Puppeteer, changed the name, and dumped the result onto Steam. They're attempting to scam people into buying this, so they can get your money for someone else's work. There's a couple of other "minigames" here, and they too are assets stolen/plagiarised from the Unity Asset Store. The only thing about this brazen plagiarism is why there's no price tag, it's a bit hard to scam gamers out of money for someone else's game packs if you don't put the price tag on... but make no mistake, this is creatively bankrupt plagiarism.

It gets worse... "Hidden Object Game Template" has also been shamelessly dumped on Steam by other asset flippers apart from Family Nights:

• "Hidden Object - Food", asset flipped by Myarcadegames Studios/BoogyGames Studios
• "Soup!", asset flipped by Boom Games/Boom Games
• "Find This!", asset flipped by For Kids
• "Hidden Object - Tools", asset flipped by BoogyGames Studios/Myarcadegames Studios

Take a look for yourself... these are all exactly the same game!

Because the plagiarised assets here are exact 1:1 copy + pastes of the original Unity assets, this "game" in violation of the Unity Asset Store Terms of Service and EULA. Specifically, Section 2, Subsection 2.2.1a:

Subject to the restrictions set forth in this EULA, Licensor hereby grants to the END-USER a non-exclusive, non-transferable, worldwide, and perpetual license to the Asset solely:(a) to incorporate the Asset, together with substantial, original content not obtained through the Unity Asset Store, into an electronic application or digital media that has a purpose, features, and functions beyond the display, performance, distribution, or use of Assets ("Licensed Product") as an embedded component of that Licensed Product, such that the Asset does not comprise a substantial portion of the Licensed Product

Because the developer misused the asset packs such that they comprise the vast majority of this "game", the developer has unethically and deliberately breached the license agreement. Usually this is done for profit as part of a fraudulent/scam activity to get money out of gamers for someone else's game assets, but in this case the price tag is missing, making us wonder why someone would buy/pirate a bunch of Unity assets and dump them wholesale onto Steam, burning $100 USD on Steam Direct in the process. It is a mystery, but the facts remain.

The products that result from asset flips aren't "real" games. They lack depth and content, because they're just simplistic copies of demos or tutorials. In this case, "Hidden Object Game Template" is just a template/tutorial for making hidden object puzzles, and doesn't have any merit as a proper, fully fledged PC game. It's just a minimum viable product, just enough to get through the non-existent quality control on Steam Direct. Not a real game.

Asset flips don't involve any professional game development. Sure, sometimes they may change a few cosmetic things, swap out different assets etc, but at heart it's functionally identical to the asset they're ripping off.

Asset flips like this are harmful to the gaming industry and to Steam because they reduce the visibility that sincerely made indie games should have, and make it harder for gamers to find real games from genuine developers.

Don't reward this morally bankrupt, unethical behaviour from Family Nights.