Among Us clone tops mobile charts in China

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Werewolf Among Us isn't really an imposter, as the concept has been popular in China for years

Among Us
(Image credit: InnerSloth)

An Among Us clone is at the top of the iOS downloads chart in China, but there's more to the story than just the existence another popular game rip-off. 

Werewolf Among Us was the most downloaded free game on the App Store in China last week, according to the South China Morning Post. Released on October 28, the clone was downloaded more than 478,000 times in just a week. Even though there are several Chinese copies of Innersloth's Among Us that are basically just reskins, this one reigns supreme.

But it's more complicated than that. The core concepts of Among Us were actually popularized in China years ago by a game called Werewolf, which spawned several sequels. As the SCMP reports, 2017's Werewolf Kill was the most famous, sitting in the top five App Store downloads for months. But Werewolf is itself a variation of a Russian party game called Mafia, created by a psychology professor in the late '80s. The '90s saw the game take on a werewolf theme in several card variants, including 2001's The Werewolves of Millers Hollow, released in France.

Among Us, which is known in China as Space Werewolf, may be spawning clone titles that are gaining popularity, but the popularity of Werewolf reigns supreme. That's likely because Among Us doesn't have a Simplified Chinese localization, so Chinese players struggle to play it, even though it's available there on both Steam and iOS. "Among Us is definitely addictive...but English is so hard I get a headache from playing," a player tells SCMP. 

So, while there is a popular Among Us clone topping iOS charts in China, remember that it's not technically an Imposter. 

The Among Us patch notes will include more professional translations in December. 

Alyssa Mercante
Alyssa Mercante

Alyssa Mercante used to be a features writer at GamesRadar and is now a freelance writer and editor. Prior to entering the industry, she got her Masters's degree in Modern and Contemporary Literature at Newcastle University with a dissertation focusing on contemporary indie games. She spends most of her time playing competitive shooters and in-depth RPGs and was recently on a PAX Panel about the best bars in video games. In her spare time Alyssa rescues cats, practices her Italian, and plays soccer.