Nintendo released its first smartphone game, "Super Mario Run," exclusively for the iOS platform with plans of rolling it out for Android users next year. "Now, some Android game developers have created a clone almost similar to the game and released it on Google's Play Store.
This is not the first time that an exclusive mobile game has been cloned and released to the general public. When Nintendo released "Pokémon Go" in select countries only, some developers created a clone of the game and rolled it out to regions where the game was not released. Some "Pokémon Go" clone even surpassed the popularity of the original in some regions.
It did not take long for game developers to ride along the popularity of "Super Mario Run." In less than 24 hours after the game was released on the iOS platform, several clones of the game also surfaced on Google's Play Store.
According to Android Headlines, among the most downloaded clones of "Super Mario Run" are Mario Run Jumper and Super Plumber Run. A quick search for "Super Mario Run" on the Android marketplace will give out thousands of results.
A Google representative said that the company has pulled one of the most popular clones of "Super Mario Run" on Android which is Mario Run Jumper. Google added that the company is also working to suspend developers who are in clear violation of the company's copyright policies.
Nintendo released "Super Mario Fun" for free on the iOS platform. However, the free version only consists of the first three levels of the game. Those who want to have the full version will have to buy the game for $9.99.
Despite its massive popularity, some game critics have pointed out some bizarre features of the game. "Super Mario Run" was criticized for its constant Internet connection requirement. Nonetheless, according to CNet, the game was downloaded five million times within the first 24 hours of its release.