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An obvious “Wordle” clone has become the top downloaded free game in the App Store despite previous app review crackdown, and it features several in-app purchases.

The latest clone to reach the top of the free games chart is sourced by a Russian development company named Steven Cravotta. While it adds a few challenge modes with timers, it takes inspiration from the web game with a blatant callout in the app description.

The app is named “Wordle!” with an exclamation mark, and the description touts it as “just like the viral word game, but on your phone!” It has several in-app purchases to unlock words, buy in-app coins, and get level skip tokens. There is also a $2.99 “Remove Ads” IAP.

“Wordle!” isn’t the only clone climbing the App Store charts. Below it are other clones like “Wordus” at number 7 and “Word Guess – Word Games” at number 11 in the top free games chart. Those three games are the top three games respectively in the top word games charts as well.

The App Store has a human-led app review program meant to prevent copying popular properties or games to seek an easy profit. App review doesn’t catch everything, but seemingly apparent cases like “Wordle!” increasingly bring Apple’s processes under fire.


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