Maybe this could explain it ?
I have no other idea sorry, every publishing I've done on google play went well with the same steps as yours.
hehe thats not 100% true, the creator of flappy bird said that everyone can make a own flappy game.
also, flappy bird is no more in the stores and there is no way to get sued by creating a Flappy, if someone wants to sue someone for creating a Flappy Game, then everyone who create a Towers Deffense, Rice Car game should be sued too, that new is kind of a lie you know?
also, my game was uploaded 2 times cause i got a problem at the firts try and my game its pretty different of every flappy ever invented in the stores, well, at least in the new update which will have a lot of new stuff like costume your flappy penguin with hats and clothes and random generated world, not just 1 pipe (in this case is an iceberg).
and no, my game wasnt rejected, its in the stores, the problem right now is that i dont know why its takes to long to be updated in the stores.
this is my game:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... ppyPenguin
in the 1.0.0.0 its just a normal flappy but its kind of faster,
now in the next update that will come, it will be very different but the problem if that the update was uploaded 4 days ago and google play doesnt updated it.
:C