Among Us clone now the most downloaded free game on China’s App Store, beating Tencent’s top titles

Werewolf Among Us, a Chinese clone of the popular American video game Among Us , shot to the top of the free game chart on Apple’s App Store on Monday, according to app tracking firm Qimai Data.

Developed by Shenzhen Youliang Technology and launched on October 28, the Chinese clone claimed the top spot with 116,000 downloads on Apple’s App Store in the country on November 2, compared with Honour of Kings’ and Peacekeeper Elite’s 112,000 and 111,000 downloads respectively, according to Qimai. Since its launch, the game has been downloaded on the App Store more than 478,000 times, Qimai data showed.

It is one of several Chinese copies rushing into the market as Innersloth’s Among Us becomes one of the biggest gaming sensations this year.

In most countries including China, intellectual property law mainly protects the art, the characters and the story of a game but not its gameplay mechanics. As a result, video game clones or reskinned games are available around the world, but in China – where many Western games are unavailable or delayed – this is especially common.

Tencent’s most successful mobile game, Honour of Kings, was initially seen by many as a clone of globally popular multiplayer online battle arena game League of Legends. NetEase’s marquee shooting mobile game Knives Out, meanwhile, was very similar to PC-based battle royale game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds when it was launched.